Great Britain False Shekel 1750 to 1920

Token Great Britain False Shekel 1750 to 1920

European interest in ancient coins started as far back as the mid-1700s and these forgeries of ancient Jewish shekels were soon pawned off to unsuspecting enthusiasts. When Darwin proposed that mankind evolved from lower life forms, rather than being created by God, new vigor entered the study of the Bible and ancient Jewish culture and, again, false coins produced tidy income for the ethically challenged. In more modern times, Jewish and Masonic influence caused false shekels to be manufactured for use as gifts and in ceremonies.

Just about all these false shekels have some type of smoking or burning urn, chalice, or censer on one side, and a leafy branch on the other, accompanied by crude Hebrew text. They are generally cast, and made of various metals including, sometimes, precious metal.

There is an excellent write-up on them at The Shekel.

Collectors seek these interesting coins today. Value depends primarily on the date of manufacture and the metallic composition. Usually an expert requires an in-person inspection to determine date and composition. The montage of coins to the right shows a silver false shekel at the top, and two base metal varieties under the silver. Very roughly:

FALSE SHEKELS IN LEAD
worn: $1 US dollar approximate catalog value
average circulated: $5
well preserved: $10

EARLY FALSE SHEKELS IN BASE METAL (Pre-1920)
worn: $5 US dollar approximate catalog value
average circulated: $15
well preserved: $30
fully uncirculated: $100

EARLY FALSE SHEKELS IN SILVER (Pre-1920)
worn: $20 US dollar approximate catalog value
average circulated: $35
well preserved: $60
fully uncirculated: $200

LATE FALSE SHEKELS (Masonic, post-1920)
worn: $1 US dollar approximate catalog value
average circulated: $2
well preserved: $4
fully uncirculated: $10

Coin: 21485, Genre: Tokens, Timeline: World
Created (yyyymm): 201607, Last review: 201607
Appearance: Normal round coin Metallic brown Metallic gray Dark metallic Letters: Block style
Years: sort: 1750, filter: 1750 to 1920
Image: great_britain_false_shekel.jpg

Tags: fern sheqalim trees curvy swirls chalice british liafy curves leaves scribble leaf vertical brittish pots amphora tree curl glas leave bottle goblet england swirl leaved leafs shekel elliptic twirly bowed brittain curly brittan elm steam curlicues leafe curved verticle jar leafy britt swirly curving ovals brit urn shekels bough english britan leafed britian vase leavs foliage squiggley ellipse pot challace curve curlycue chalace ferns britain squiggles vertically sqiggles boughs swoosh curls grass one ivy kettle squigle jug ones squiggly glass greenery bowl scribbles cup oval bush great sheqel oblong squiggle

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