50 Israeli Old Shekel Banknote (1978 To 1984 Issue)

50 Sheqalim Sheqel (Issued 1978)

Few banknotes capture a nation’s founding spirit as directly as this 50 Sheqalim issue, which places David Ben-Gurion — Israel’s first Prime Minister and the architect of modern Israeli statehood — at its very centre. Issued in 1978 and later retired as part of the 1980 Sheqel Reform, the note reflects a young nation proud to honour the statesman whose declaration established the State of Israel in 1948. The spare desert landscape visible behind the portrait reinforces a sense of pioneering resolve, while the architectural forms to the right ground the imagery in the built legacy of the modern state. Together, the design elements speak to themes of independence, memory, and national purpose.

On the front, the dominant feature is a finely engraved portrait of David Ben-Gurion rendered in a rightward-facing profile, executed in close intaglio line work that captures his characteristically wild white hair with remarkable textural precision. His open-collar shirt and composed expression lend the portrait an informal dignity befitting a founding leader. Behind him to the left, a mountainous desert horizon — evoking the Negev region where Ben-Gurion famously retired — is depicted in pale, lightly etched lines, while to the right, a modernist architectural structure rendered in stronger tonal contrast anchors the composition. The background of the note is a pale cream-yellow, with subtle wave-patterned guilloché work providing a security ground across the upper left quadrant. The denomination “50” appears in bold dark numerals at both the upper left and upper right corners, while the Hebrew text חמישים שקל, meaning “Fifty Sheqel,” is prominently set in the upper central area. The words בנק ישראל (Bank of Israel) appear in bold Hebrew script along the lower centre, and the year תשל״ח (1978 in the Hebrew calendar notation) is printed beneath. Two cursive signatures appear at the lower left alongside small Hebrew designations for the Governor and the Chairman of the Advisory Council. A band of fine parallel-line security printing is visible along the lower left edge, and the note’s serial details are presented in the standard Bank of Israel typographic style.

The reverse is dominated by a highly detailed engraved depiction of the Tower of David — the medieval citadel situated at the entrance to the Old City of Jerusalem — rendered in warm olive-brown and ochre tones against the note’s pale cream field. The stonework of the tower’s massive masonry walls is rendered with exceptional precision, each course of dressed stone visible in the intaglio engraving, and the arched gateway at the base of the tower is clearly articulated with decorative carved detail above its entrance. Crenellated parapets and the broad walls of the citadel extend to either side of the central tower, conveying the monument’s commanding historical presence. The serial number 5395414905 appears in dark print twice — once at the upper left and once at the right of centre — flanking the main illustration. The text בנק ישראל appears in Hebrew at the top centre, and the English legend BANK OF ISRAEL is printed along the lower centre in clear serif capitals. The denomination numeral “50” appears at the upper left, lower left, and to the right, with the lower-right instance rendered in a golden-yellow ink, contrasting with the olive tones of the main engraving. Fine horizontal wave lines fill the background of the entire reverse, providing both visual texture and a low-level security ground.

Wondering who buys foreign coins and notes? Webuyallcurrency.com does — a 50 Sheqalim banknote like this is accepted alongside other old or withdrawn Israeli Old Sheqalim banknotes, so you can exchange the lot for cash at once.

• Indicate the quantity of 50 Sheqalim Sheqel banknotes you want to exchange
• Click the ‘Add to your account’ button
• Your online account now shows the exchange value

Webuyallcurrency.com buys and exchanges foreign currency of every kind, so your Israeli Old Sheqalim banknotes — withdrawn or current — can be sold for cash together with the rest of your leftover coins and notes.

Other Israeli Old Sheqalim you can exchange: 1, 5, 10, 100, 500, 1000, 5000, 10000.