A 'Jerusalem of Gold': Literally, Not Figuratively!

A medal struck in gold, of which only two copies exist, features an atypical image of the Jerusalem temple on one side and an extraordinary representation of the menorah, composed of five traditional branches supplemented by two naturalistic branches bearing fruits of the Holy Land, on the other. Both sides have skillfully wrought Hebrew inscriptions lacking traditional amuletic content. Interestingly, five other rare Hebrew language gold medals have been discovered that though stylistically divergent are thematically or textually analogous to this medal. The provenance, dates, and places of origin of all of these objects are unknown. Thus, a considerable range of analytic and interpretive possibility surrounds this exceptional and undoubtedly Jewish artifact.