The Coins and Banknotes of Palestine Under the British Mandate, 1927–1947

From 1923 until May 1948, Palestine was under a British Mandate. Beginning in 1927, on the Eve of the tenth anniversary of the Balfour Declaration, Palestine began producing its own money. The coins and banknotes that were legal tender during these two decades are especially interesting both to collectors and historians. A brief history of Palestine up to 1948 and information on the Palestine Currency Board provide background information. Complete numismatic information is then presented for each coin and banknote. Also covered are the mysterious 1927 Holyland Token, counterfeit issues, and vignettes of the religious sites featured on banknotes. Appendices present the text of the British Mandate for Palestine, catalog numbering systems for Palestine coins and banknotes, and a checklist for collectors. (The text does not introduce a new numbering system.) Color and black and white illustrations bring these beautiful pieces of currency, many now rarities, to life.

Retired college professor and inventor Howard M. Berlin lives in Wilmington, Delaware. He holds three United States patents for his inventions and is the author of over 30 books on diverse subjects, including cinema and numismatics. He has been collecting coins and banknotes of the Palestine Mandate for over two decades, has exhibited his collection widely, winning numerous awards. He is a member of the Numismatic Literary Guild.

Howard M. Berlin
Format: softcover (7 x 10)
Pages: 170
Bibliographic Info: 88 photos (26 in color), maps, tables, references, appendices, notes, index
Copyright Date: 2005 [2001]
pISBN: 978-0-7864-2445-0
eISBN: 978-1-4766-0672-9
Imprint: McFarland

Acknowledgments      vii
Preface      1

1. A BRIEF HISTORY OF PALESTINE UP TO 1948      3
What Is Palestine?      3
Palestine Prior to 1918      5
The Balfour Declaration      6
The British Occupation and Mandate      7
The Final Partition of Palestine      12

2. THE PALESTINE CURRENCY BOARD      15
The Palestine Currency Order of 1927      15
The Formation and Operation of the Palestine Currency Board      18
Numismatic Changes During World War II      22
The Mandate’s Final Years      24
Chronology Table      26

3. COINAGE      31
Introduction      31
Arabic Numbers and Dating      33
1 Mil      34
2 Mils      35
5 Mils      37
10 Mils      38
20 Mils      40
50 Mils      42
100 Mils      43
1947 Dated Coins      44
Proof Coins and Sets      45

4. THE 1927 HOLYLAND TOKEN      49
Origins      49
Coin or Token?      50

5. BANK NOTES      55
Introduction      55
Legends      56
Dates of Issue and Signatures      56
Watermark      59
Five Hundred Mils      59
One Palestine Pound      62
Five Palestine Pounds      64
Ten Palestine Pounds      66
Fifty Palestine Pounds      68
One Hundred Palestine Pounds      71
Cancellation of Regular Issued Bank Notes      76
Specimen Bank Notes      77

Between pages 84 and 85 are eight color plates containing 26 photographs

6. VIGNETTES ON THE BANK NOTES OF THE PALESTINE CURRENCY BOARD      85
Rachel’s Tomb      85
The Dome of the Rock      88
The Tower of Ramlah      96
The Citadel and Tower of David      98

7. COUNTERFEIT COINS AND BANK NOTES      101
Coins      101
Bank Notes      103

Appendix A. Text of the Mandate for Palestine      109
Appendix B. Catalog Number Equivalents      117
Appendix C. Checklist for Collectors      124
Chapter Notes      129
References      143
Index      149

Best Book—Numismatic Literary Guild
“a thoroughly researched, heavily illustrated, and cross-referenced text…sure to become the standard work in this field”—Paper Money.