Three pomegranates; the emblem of the State of Israel; "Israel" in Hebrew, Arabic and English.

The Emblem of the State of Israel shows a menorah surrounded by an olive branch on each side, and the writing "ישראל" (Hebrew for Israel) below it. The menorah is described in the Bible as the seven-lamp (six branches) ancient Hebrew lampstand made of pure gold and used in the portable sanctuary set up by Moses in the wilderness and 300 years later in the Temple in Jerusalem. Fresh olive oil of the purest quality was burned daily to light its lamps. The menorah has been a symbol of Judaism since ancient times and is the emblem on the coat of arms of the modern state of Israel.

Origin of motif: Coin minted during the First Jewish–Roman War (66–73 CE), sometimes called the Great Revolt (Hebrew: המרד הגדול‎‎ ha-Mered Ha-Gadol). It was the first of three major rebellions by the Jews of Judea Province (Iudaea) against the Roman Empire.

First Jewish Revolt coinage was issued by the Jews after the Zealots captured Jerusalem and the Jewish Temple from the Romans in 66 AD. The Jewish leaders of the revolt minted their own coins to emphasize their newly obtained independence from Rome.

In the Revolt's first year (66–67 AD), the Jews minted only silver coins, which were struck from the Temple’s store of silver. These coins replaced the Tyrian shekel, which had previously been used to pay the Temple tax. The newly minted silver coins included shekels, half-shekels, and quarter-shekels, each being labelled with the year of minting and their denomination. These are the first truly Jewish silver coins, and depict a chalice on the obverse with the year of the revolt above, surrounded by the ancient Hebrew inscription "Shekel of Israel".

Engraver: Gerd Rothschild & Ze'ev Lippman

The denomination "1" between two stars; "One Israeli Lira" and the date in Hebrew.

All dates on Israeli coins are given in the Hebrew calendar and are written in Hebrew letters. Hebrew dating formed from a combination of the 22 consonant letters of the Hebrew alphabet and read from right to left.

Engraver: Zvi Narkiss

Alternating segments: five smooth, five milled.