Bidspirit auction | Palestine - Templar Colonies Token

Palestine - Templar Colonies Token - 5 Para 1880-1917 - CONSUMMARKE - Second Series - PCGS AU Details - Very Rare - Haffner CC-13B - The rarest and most difficult to obtain token among the three Templer token series. Only a handful of examples are known. The Templers were German Protestants who separated from their church under the leadership of Christoph Hoffmann. They came to the Holy Land seeking to live according to Biblical traditions. In 1868 they settled in Haifa, Jaffa and Jerusalem, where they established farms, schools and churches, and became active in trade and industry. To address the chronic shortage of small change, the main financial organization of the Templers in Jerusalem issued tokens that circulated between 1880-1917. These tokens circulated in Jaffa, Haifa and Jerusalem, and were denominated in Paras corresponding to Ottoman currency. Following World War I, most surviving pieces were withdrawn and sold for scrap metal. Obverse: ”CENTRALCASSE DES TEMPLES” inscription surrounding plow design within decorated inner border. Reverse: ”CONSUMMARKE” inscription surrounding denomination ”5” in center.