Palestine - Jerusalem Hotel, Jaffa - 1/2 Piastre 1880's - PCGS AU Details - Rare - Haffner CC-15B

Palestine - Jerusalem Hotel, Jaffa - 1/2 Piastre 1880's - PCGS AU Details - Rare - Haffner CC-15B The Jerusalem Hotel tokens circulated as local currency in both Jaffa and Jerusalem. They were issued during the 1880's by Ernst von Hardegg, owner of the Jerusalem Hotel in Jaffa and a member of the Templer community. On September 22, 1866, a group of farmers, carpenters and craftsmen from the United States arrived in the Land of Israel. The group belonged to a Protestant movement that believed the return of the Jewish people to their homeland and the settlement of the Holy Land would hasten the coming of the Messiah and the establishment of the "Millennial Kingdom". Most houses in the colony were prefabricated wooden structures, except for the hotel building constructed by the Drisco brothers, originally known as the "Grand Hotel". The stone building rose to three stories and became one of the most impressive structures in the colony. Beginning in 1868, members of the German Templer community acquired the colony's buildings in order to establish their own settlement. In 1870, Ernst Hardegg purchased the hotel, renovated and expanded it, and renamed it the "Jerusalem Hotel". By the late 19th and early 20th centuries, the hotel was considered among the finest in the Holy Land and hosted numerous distinguished visitors. During World War II the building was used by the British Mandate authorities, and after the establishment of the State of Israel it served government purposes. In recent years the structure underwent extensive restoration and reopened as the luxury "Drisco Hotel". Obverse: denomination "1/2 PIASTER". Reverse: inscriptions "JAFFA" and "JERUSALEM HOTEL". Diameter: 20 mm.