1000 Israeli Old Shekel Banknote (1978 To 1984 Issue)

1,000 Sheqalim Sheqel (Issued 1983)

Israel’s economy was under severe strain in the early 1980s, with hyperinflation eroding the value of its currency so rapidly that the original Israeli pound had already been replaced by the Sheqel in 1980. By 1983, denominations had climbed to four digits, and the 1,000 Sheqalim note entered circulation as a practical response to that monetary pressure. The note represents a last flourish of the short-lived Sheqel before it was itself replaced by the New Sheqel in 1985. Printed to a high standard of intaglio and offset work, it remains one of the more visually accomplished issues of the period.

On the front, the dominant feature is a finely engraved portrait of Moses Maimonides — the renowned twelfth-century Jewish philosopher, astronomer, and physician, known in Hebrew as the Rambam — positioned to the right of centre against a background of green and soft pink circular tonal gradients. Maimonides is depicted wearing a grey-green turban, his beard neatly rendered, and his expression calm and scholarly; the portrait is executed in detailed intaglio line engraving with considerable depth and precision. Behind and around the portrait, a large circular watermark zone dominates the left-centre of the note, printed in pale tones against the predominantly green ground. Manuscript-style Hebrew script fills much of the background as a printed security pattern, referencing historical text in a repeating, ghost-like overprint that gives the note a layered, scholarly character. In the lower left, the issuing authority is named in large, bold Hebrew characters reading “בנק ישראל” (Bank of Israel), with the denomination stated below in similarly prominent Hebrew text reading “אלף שקלים” (One Thousand Sheqalim). The year 1983, rendered in Hebrew numerals, appears beneath the Bank of Israel inscription. The denomination “1000” appears in bold green numeral form in both the upper left and lower right corners. Two small triangular registration devices — one hollow, one solid — are visible in the lower centre zone, functioning as see-through alignment markers. Two facsimile signatures appear above the portrait area in black ink, identifying the Governor and the Chairman of the Advisory Council of the Bank of Israel. The overall colour palette of the front is a combination of fresh green, pale olive, and a warm pink-rose circle forming the background to the portrait composition.

The reverse presents an arc-shaped cityscape composition rendered in green, teal, and light ochre tones, depicting a panoramic view of Jerusalem — identifiable by the distinctive stone architecture, domed structures, and characteristic Levantine rooflines visible across the upper portion of the design. Palm trees, stone towers, and what appears to be a section of ancient wall feature prominently in the lower half of the central vignette, giving the scene a layered, topographical quality. A large circular guilloché rosette fills the left-centre of the reverse, printed in soft green and providing the primary security underlayer for the serial number. The serial number “3187105632” is printed twice in dark green — once in the upper left area and once in the lower right — flanking the central design symmetrically. The denomination “1000” appears in bold numerals in the upper right corner, and the lower portion of the note carries the full trilingual inscription “BANK OF ISRAEL” in English, “בנק ישראל” in Hebrew, and “بنك إسرائيل” in Arabic, followed by “1000 SHEQALIM” in Latin script. A small letter “G” appears as a printer’s mark near the lower centre. The overall tone of the reverse is lighter than the front, with delicate green tonal work and fine-line background printing providing texture and depth across the field.

Whether it is a single 1,000 Sheqalim banknote or a mix of leftover currency, Webuyallcurrency.com exchanges Israeli Old Sheqalim banknotes and other foreign coins and notes for cash in one straightforward process.

• Indicate the quantity of 1,000 Sheqalim Sheqel banknotes you want to exchange
• Click the ‘Add to your account’ button
• Your online account now shows the exchange value

Whether you want to sell foreign coins and notes or exchange leftover currency from past trips, Webuyallcurrency.com accepts Israeli Old Sheqalim banknotes alongside modern money and settles everything in a single, easy transaction.

Other Israeli Old Sheqalim you can exchange: 1, 5, 10, 50, 100, 500, 5000, 10000.