Judaica - Gerlitz Shekel - "Shekel Israel" - Chalice and Flowering Branch - Machatzit HaShekel Tradition Token - ...

Judaica - Gerlitz Shekel - "Shekel Israel" - Chalice and Flowering Branch - Machatzit HaShekel Tradition Token - Late 19th / Early 20th Century A token of the "Gerlitz Shekel" type, displaying the traditional chalice and flowering branch designs together with stylized Hebrew inscriptions. The piece belongs to the broad family of European "Shekel" tokens created as imaginative representations of the ancient Jewish shekel at a time when the true appearance of ancient shekel coinage was not yet well known in Europe. Based on its style and method of manufacture, the present example may be approximately dated to the late 19th or early 20th century. The Gerlitz Shekel tradition originated in Europe in the 15th century and is traditionally associated with Georg Emmerich of Görlitz, who traveled to the Holy Land as a pilgrim in 1465. Numerous variations were subsequently produced throughout Europe and became familiar among both Christian and Jewish communities. There is no basis for stating that this particular token was issued by Jews or originally intended specifically for Jewish use. However, tokens of this type are known to have also been used among European Jews, including as symbolic tokens for Zecher Le-Machatzit HaShekel, for charity and Purim gifts to the poor, as amulets and commemorative pieces, and in some instances to represent the five sela'im required for Pidyon HaBen. Obverse: A stylized chalice from which rises a scrolling floral ornament, surrounded by a stylized Hebrew inscription characteristic of Gerlitz Shekel imitations. Reverse: A flowering branch or tree with leaves and buds, surrounded by a stylized Hebrew inscription. This is not an ancient shekel or an official legal-tender coin, but a later token belonging to the Gerlitz Shekel tradition. White metal with a silvery appearance; the precise metal composition cannot be established from the photographs alone. Considerable wear, scratches, marks and signs of handling are visible.