Judaica Gorlitz False Shekel Pidyon Haben Coin Hanukkah ✡Gelt Hebrew Medal Token

Description

Judaica Gorlitz False Shekel Pidyon Haben Coin Chanukah Gelt Hebrew Medal Token
This Listing is for a Hard to come by Censer False Shekel in
Good
Condition; See Scans
33mm (1.3125 inches); 8.86 grams
This is the C
enser bowl with 13 total rings;
the top
b
and
with 5 (Element) Rings; and the lower band with 8 rings (the 8 points of the Compass).
The
P
omegranate branch has 8 Berries (Fruits)
Notice to Buyer
:
This is
not an original Shekel from the First War of the Jews against the Romans in A.D. 66 – 70.
It is what is called a “False Shekel” or “Censer Piece”; produced from 1480 up through 1920.
Th
is
particular design is known to have been fabricated from 1890 through 1920; so I am comfortable
in saying the piece is circa Late 19
TH
or Early 20
TH
Century (but I have no proof of the exact year).
Below is a brief synopsis of the “False Shekel”
.
The genuine, ancient shekel, struck during the First War of the Jews against the Romans in A.D. 66 - 70,
was a historically important coin, often revered as a relic of the Bible, and it was imitated and reproduced for
centuries afterwards. One large group of these shekel copies, sometimes called 'false shekels' or 'censer pieces',
played an indirect part in the creation of the modem State of Israel but they have never been given the recognition
or credit they deserve. Instead, these strange copies were considered to be quaint tokens of an 19th century
religious revival and a renewed interest in the Bible among Christians. However, their history begins much
earlier than this date and their origins or functions are far more interesting. The story of these false shekels
or censer pieces perhaps begins at a reproduction of the Holy Sepulcher church in Prussia in 1480 with the
fabrication of the first known copies and ends in England in 1917 with the famous Balfour Declaration, a
document that favored the creation of a homeland for the Jewish people in the Land of Israel.
Some of these imitations of the shekel were given the label, 'censer pieces', because of a misinterpretation
of a part of the design on the authentic coins. The ancient Hebrew letters, S B (Shin Bet), representing the
date of year two, located above the chalice on the obverse of the most commonly found genuine shekel,
was considered by the copiers to be smoke rising from the vessel. Because of this, the chalice was
thought to be a censer bowl containing burning incense.
The purpose of this medal can only be speculated upon but such shekel-like tokens usually served in the
European Jewish communities as sentimental reminders of the ancient Jewish homeland or as
Pidyon Haben coins for the ceremony of the redemption of the first-born son.
Other similar, shekel tokens were used as receipts for charitable payments to the synagogue,
as Chanukah Gelt, as badges of self- help societies, or as admission tickets to holiday events.
As many of these medals are found with suspension loops attached, they may have also been
worn as good luck charms or as amulets to ward of sickness and the 'evil eye'.
The Meysel token resembles the authentic Shekel only slightly. As usual, the designs of the chalice
and pomegranate branch are stylized or misinterpreted so that fames seem to be rising from the vessel
and the pomegranate branch looks like a leafy limb. The legends are the same as those on the authentic
shekel but are given in the so-called modern, Hebrew, square or block lettering.
The Previous condensed Synopsis was taken from an article of the AINA (American Israel Numismatic Association)
Titled:
"FALSE SHEKELS", THE MEDALS THAT INFLUENCED MODERN HISTORY
. By Marvin Tameanko
Regarding Shipping:
EBay has recently changed the way Buyers can Pay and Sellers Get their Proceeds.
For almost 20 years now, I have shipped my sold items the Day after the payment clears.
With the introduction of “Immediate payment with a Buy-It-Now”, I’ve always given NEXT DAY SHIPPING.
However, with the last sale I made AND EBAY’S NEW METHODS, I did not receive my payment for FOUR DAYS.
Therefore, I have put a 4 day turnaround time on all of my listings;
HOWEVER,
I WILL SHIP THE ITEM THE DAY AFTER THE PROCEEDS HIT MY BANK
.
Sorry, but the shipping costs come out of the Proceeds after eBay takes 12.55% OFF THE TOP OF EVERYTHING.