Israeli Coin Identification

[danii14]

I need help identifying this Israeli coin. I've searched and I found a few close to it. But the third character on the bottom obverse stumps me.

[JKK]

Agorah achat (1 agorah), JE 5734 (1974 CE). Reverse is based on an ancient design.

[Just Bob]

13 hours ago, JKK said:

Agorah achat (1 agorah), JE 5734 (1974 CE). Reverse is based on an ancient design.

Not sure if they still are, but years ago, they were sold (sometimes by the bagful) to tourists to the Holy Land as modern-day versions of the Biblical Widow's Mite.

[JKK]

2 hours ago, Just Bob said:

Not sure if they still are, but years ago, they were sold (sometimes by the bagful) to tourists to the Holy Land as modern-day versions of the Biblical Widow's Mite.

Doesn't surprise me a bit. I did a bunch of articles for a Bible book some years back and found that most bases to touch on the religious circuit were fully exploited.

One thing I hadn't realized until the recent Portland Coin Show (our club puts it on), where I bought one, is that the earlier 'cent' coin in Israel--the prutah (plural prutot, just as agora pluralizes to agorot; long o's)--is the reincarnation of an ancient denomination. I bought one of Herod Agrippa I in rather nice shape. In fact it has that same three barley ears motif on it.

Is there a numismatic term for coins, as a general collective group, that are the decimal denomination of the main currency? Centesemi, agorot, kopeyek, cents, pence, eurocents, fulus/filsa, and so on?

[danii14]

Very interesting! Thanks!