The United States Mint will strike 100,000 commemorative silver Israeli coins to be issued in connection with the 21st anniversary of Israel’s independence which falls on April 23, 1969, according to the January issue of the “Journal of Israel Numismatics” published here. The coins will be of 10 Israel pound denomination, the equivalent of $3.50 and 30,000 of them will be in proof condition, the magazine said. The minting of Israeli coins abroad is not new, Fred Bertram, editor of the numismatics journal said. Previous Israeli silver commemorative coins have been struck by the mints of The Netherlands, Switzerland and Italy. The minting of the coins in the U.S., which is the biggest market for Israeli commemoratives, will save time and transportation costs, Mr. Bertram said.
In a related development, pre-holiday sales of Israel coins were an unprecedented success for both old and new issues, Joseph Milo, assistant trade commissioner for Israel, reported here today. He said many banks declared a “sellout” shortly after the start of Israel Coin Week which ran from Dec. 9 to 16, 1968. According to Mr. Milo, heavy demand for the coins was registered by some 4,000 banking offices all over the world. He said that profits earned from the sale of Israel coins are earmarked for the restoration and preservation of historic sites in Israel.
The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
