January 19, 2012 – A 2-New Sheqalim coin from the Bank of Israel has been named Coin of the Year by Krause Publications.
The “Jonah In the Whale” silver coin was chosen the best of 10 individual category winners for coins minted in 2010 by an international panel of coin experts.
The coin’s obverse features the face value in Hebrew and English, the Israel State Emblem, “Israel” in Hebrew, English and Arabic, the mint year, the inscription “Jonah in the belly of the fish,” Jonah 2:1 in three languages, and Jonah in prayer. The reverse depicts the prophet Jonah praying from the belly of the whale: “Thy billows and thy waves passed over me … yet I will look again towards thy Holy Temple …”
“We would like to congratulate the Bank of Israel on the beautiful design,” said Coin of the Year coordinator Lisa Bellavin. “Its simplicity speaks volumes and invokes a little bit of wonder. It shows that where coin design is concerned, sometimes less can be more.”
“Jonah In the Whale” has previously decided the run for the title of Most Artistic Coin of the Krause Publication’s Coin of the Year Award. To view the other category winners, please click here.
The 2012 Coin of the Year Awards will be given February 4, 2012, at the World Money Fair in Berlin, Germany. For information on this event you might like to read this article.