5 Israeli Old Shekel Banknote (1978 To 1984 Issue)

5 Sheqalim Sheqel (Issued 1978)

In Israel during the late 1970s, a five sheqalim note was a practical denomination for everyday transactions, covering modest groceries, bus fares, or a simple meal at a local café. It circulated among workers, students, and families at a time when Israel was managing significant inflationary pressures that would ultimately prompt the monetary reforms of 1980. The note bears the issue date of 1978 and was rendered obsolete following the Sheqel Reform, which restructured the currency to address economic instability. Today it survives as a tangible document of a turbulent but formative chapter in Israeli monetary history.

On the front, the dominant feature is a precisely engraved portrait of Chaim Weizmann, the scientist and statesman who became the first President of the State of Israel, positioned to the right of centre. His likeness is rendered in fine intaglio engraving, showing a bald-headed man with a short beard and a composed, direct expression, set against a background depicting the Knesset building — Israel’s parliament — with its distinctive columned façade and the low mountain ridge visible behind it. The overall colour palette is a soft, pale mint green, with the engraved portrait and architectural details executed in a deeper olive-green tone that gives the note a subtle but elegant visual contrast. In the upper portion of the note, the denomination is stated in Hebrew as “חמישה שקלים” (five sheqalim), with the numeral “5” appearing in the upper left and upper right corners. The issuing authority, “בנק ישראל” (Bank of Israel), is printed in bold Hebrew characters along the lower portion of the note. To the lower left, two facsimile signatures appear alongside small text identifying the Governor of the Bank and the Chairman of the Advisory Council, with a small serial-number-style barcode-like registration mark printed below them. The year 1978 appears in Hebrew numerals near the bottom centre. Fine guilloché wave patterns fill the background across the entire field of the note, providing both decorative structure and a degree of security against reproduction.

The reverse presents a richly detailed engraved view of the Damascus Gate — one of the most recognisable entrances to the Old City of Jerusalem — depicted in a confident olive and mint-green palette consistent with the front. The gate is rendered with considerable architectural precision, showing its crenellated battlements, arched central entrance, flanking towers with their own decorative merlons, and the large stone-block construction characteristic of Ottoman-era fortification. The surrounding wall extends on both sides, and the archway of the entrance is clearly delineated with shadow and depth. Above the central image, the bank name “בנק ישראל” appears in Hebrew, and below the image the text reads “BANK OF ISRAEL” in English. The serial number 1061730864 appears twice — once in the upper left and once in the lower right — printed in dark green numerals. A vertical watermark band bearing the text “בנק ישראל” (Bank of Israel) is visible along the left margin. The numeral “5” appears in both the upper right and lower left corners on the reverse, and fine background guilloché patterns continue across the full surface, giving the note its consistent, closely woven security texture.

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• Indicate the quantity of 5 Sheqalim Sheqel banknotes you want to exchange
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Webuyallcurrency.com is a simple way to exchange or sell foreign coins and banknotes for cash — current or withdrawn — turning your Israeli Old Sheqalim banknotes and any other leftover currency into one straightforward payout.

Other Israeli Old Sheqalim you can exchange: 1, 10, 50, 100, 500, 1000, 5000, 10000.