The lost treasure of 20 agorot

Where oh where have they gone? Three coins of 20 agorot apiece and five coins of two shekels apiece, of styles that never made it into circulation, have gone missing. Put otherwise, Avia Spivak, formerly a deputy governor of the central bank, had been given sample coins for inspection ahead of minting, but subsequently couldn't find them, Army Radio reports.

The story began in 2003, when the Bank of Israel decided to mint two-shekel coins. It ordered several dozen sample styles in order to choose one. (All differ from the coin finally issued at the end of December 2007.) The central bank also ordered a small number of 20-agorot coins for examination: No coin of that denomination ever did make it into circulation.

These coins are considered collectors' items and are worth thousands of shekels per coin.

The coins were disseminated among top Bank of Israel people for inspection, yet several never made their way back into the bank vault. Spivak cannot locate the ones that were lent to him. The Bank of Israel elected not to take steps against him, and the other coins have apparently been melted down.

The Bank of Israel stated that Spivak had been given 13 two-shekel coins and 13 20-agorot coins for inspection. Before he retired from the central bank, he was asked to return them. He returned all but five two-shekel coins and three 20-agorot coins. The Bank of Israel accepted his explanation, that they had been misplaced with no premeditated malice, and adds that it won't be minting more sample coins in the future.