Israeli agora: Difference between revisions

10 Agorot
Obverse: Date palm tree. Lettring ישראל in Hebrew and اسرائيل in Arabic languages.	Reverse: Denomination and lettering אגורות תשכ״ב in Hebrew.
Total 247,874,000 coins minted from 1960 to 1977.

The agora (/æɡəˈrɑː/; plural agorot /-ˈrɒt/;^[1] Hebrew: אגורה, pl. אגורות‎, agorot) is a denomination of the currency of Israel. The Israeli currency – the new Israeli shekel (ILS) or (NIS)– is divided into 100 agorot.

The name agora refers to the subunits of three distinct Israeli currencies.

This name was used for the first time in 1960, when the Israeli government decided to change the subdivision of the Israeli pound (Hebrew: לירה, lira) from 1,000 prutah to 100 agorot due to the currency's depreciation.^[2] The name was suggested by the Academy of the Hebrew Language, and was borrowed from the Hebrew Bible:

The term "piece of silver" appears in Hebrew as "agorat kessef".

In 1980 the Israeli pound was replaced by the shekel at a rate of I£10 per IS 1. The new subdivision of the shekel was named agora ẖadaša ("new agora"). There were 100 new agorot in 1 shekel. The high rate of inflation in Israel in the early 1980s forced the Israeli government to change the Israeli currency once again in 1985. The new shekel was introduced at a rate of 1000 S per 1 NS. The name agora was used once again for its subdivision. This time the term "new" was avoided, in order to prevent confusion with the older subdivision (the pre-1980 agora was long since out of circulation). Currently, the term agora refers to the 100th part of the new shekel. There are coins of 10 and 50 agorot, though the 50 agorot coin bears the inscription: "1⁄2 New Shekel".

A coin of 1 agora was in use until April 1, 1991^[3] and a coin of 5 agorot was in use until January 1, 2008 when the Bank of Israel decided to cease production. This was due to the costs spent on its production which considerably exceeded the coin's value. Today, when paying in cash, the price must be rounded to the nearest multiple of 10 agorot. When buying several items, the rounding is done for the total sum. There is no rounding when paying with cheques, credit cards or bank orders.

Image	Value	Technical parameters			Description		Date of
		Diameter (mm)	Mass (g)	Composition	Obverse	Reverse	Issue	Withdrawal
	1 agora	20	1.03	aluminium 97%, magnesium 3%	Hordeum, "Israel" in Hebrew and Arabic	Value, date	01.01.1960	22.02.1980
	5 agorot	17.5	2.30 (copper) 0.8 (alum.)	1960—1975: copper 92%, aluminium 6%, nickel 2% 1976—1979: aluminium 97%, magnesium 3%	Three pomegranates, "Israel" in Hebrew and Arabic
	10 agorot	21.5	4.15 (copper) 1.55 (alum.)	1960—1977: copper 92%, aluminium 6%, nickel 2% 1978—1979: aluminium 97%, magnesium 3%	Palm tree, "Israel" in Hebrew and Arabic
	25 agorot	25.5	6.5	copper 92%, aluminium 6%, nickel 2%	Lyre, "Israel" in Hebrew and Arabic
	I£1/2	24.5	6.8	copper 75%, nickel 25%	The state emblem, "Israel" in Hebrew, Arabic and English		12.09.1963	31.03.1984

Old shekel coins

Image	Value	Technical parameters			Description		Date of
		Diameter (mm)	Mass (g)	Composition	Obverse	Reverse	Issue	Withdrawal
	1 new agora	15	0.6	aluminium 97%, magnesium 3%	Palm tree, "Israel" in Hebrew and Arabic	Value, date	24.02.1980	04.09.1986
	5 new agorot	18.5	0.9		The state emblem, "Israel" in Hebrew, Arabic and English
	10 new agorot	16	2.1	copper 92%, nickel 8%	Three pomegranates, the state emblem, "Israel" in Hebrew, Arabic and English
	IS1⁄2	20	3	copper 75%, nickel 25%	Lion, the state emblem, "Israel" in Hebrew, Arabic and English	Value, date, two stars

• Note that all dates on Israeli coins are given in the Hebrew calendar and are written in Hebrew numerals.

New shekel coin series

Image	Value	Technical parameters				Description			Date of
		Diameter	Thickness	Mass	Composition	Edge	Obverse	Reverse	Issue	Withdrawal
	1 agora	17 mm	1.2 mm	2 g	Aluminium bronze 92% copper 6% aluminium 2% nickel	Plain	Ancient galley, the state emblem, "Israel" in Hebrew, Arabic and English	Value, date	4 September 1985	1 April 1991
	5 agorot	19.5 mm	1.3 mm	3 g			Replica of a coin from the fourth year of the war of the Jews against Rome depicting a lulav between two etrogim, the state emblem, "Israel" in Hebrew, Arabic and English			1 January 2008
	10 agorot/ ₪1⁄10	22 mm	1.5 mm	4 g			Replica of a coin issued by Antigonus II Mattathias with the seven-branched candelabrum, the state emblem, "Israel" in Hebrew, Arabic and English			Current
	50 agorot/ ₪1⁄2	26 mm	1.6 mm	6.5 g			Lyre, the state emblem	Value, date, "Israel" in Hebrew, Arabic and English

• Note that all dates on Israeli coins are given in the Hebrew calendar and are written in Hebrew numerals.

• 10 agorot controversy

• Bank of Israel catalogue of Israeli currency since 1948
• Israeli Agora coins with pictures