I’ve found that in countries using currencies different from the US dollar, making change is not difficult until you get down to the small coin level. The Israeli currency is based on the New Israeli Shekel (“NIS”), which has a rate of exchange with the US dollar of roughly 4:1; i.e. it takes 4 shekels to make a dollar. In other words, a shekel is worth a quarter.
The 4:1 exchange rate is a much easier (mentally) than the British Pound, but it still becomes a problem when small change comes into play. The smallest bill in Israel is a 20 Shekel note ($5) so you quickly get into the coins when buying a pack of gum. The top row of coins in the photo are shekels: ten, one and half-shekel coins. Not pictured is the five and two shekel coins. After that you get into agorat, where 100 agorat make a shekel. The two coins in the bottom row are ten and one agora coins.
If a shekel is worth a quarter, then an agora is worth only 1/4 cent. Whoa! Like the US penny, how is it economical to even produce them? Easy, the argorat are made of aluminum. Bronze, nickel and steel are used for other coins. Precious metal?
Thought for the Day: The hardest thing in the world to understand is the income tax. Albert Einstein
