Vatican euro coins

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Vatican euro coins are issued by the Philatelic and Numismatic Office of the Vatican City State and minted by Istituto Poligrafico e Zecca dello Stato (IPZS), in Rome, Italy. The euro is the official currency of the Vatican City, although the Vatican is not a member of the European Union.

Vatican euro design

For images of the common side and a detailed description of the coins, see euro coins.

First series (2002–2005)

The initial series of Vatican euro coins featured an effigy of Pope John Paul II. They were issued only in collector sets and bore an extreme markup with the 2002 collector set costing well over a thousand euro.^[1]

Depiction of Vatican euro coinage (2002–2005) | Obverse side

€ 0.01	€ 0.02	€ 0.05
Effigy of John Paul II.
€ 0.10	€ 0.20	€ 0.50
Effigy of John Paul II.
€ 1.00	€ 2.00	€ 2 Coin Edge
		for a total of 12 stars
Effigy of John Paul II.

Second series (2005–2006)

Following the death of Pope John Paul II in April 2005, the Vatican issued special coins during the period of Sede vacante depicting the emblem of the Apostolic Chamber (i.e. two crossed keys beneath an umbraculum, or umbrella) and the coat of arms of the Camerlengo of the Holy Roman Church, at the time Cardinal Eduardo Martínez Somalo.^[2]

Depiction of Vatican euro coinage (2005) | Obverse side

€ 0.01	€ 0.02	€ 0.05
Insignia of the Apostolic Chamber and the coat of arms of the Camerlengo of the Holy Roman Church
€ 0.10	€ 0.20	€ 0.50
Insignia of the Apostolic Chamber and the coat of arms of the Cardinal Chamberlain
€ 1.00	€ 2.00	€ 2 Coin Edge
		for a total of 12 stars
Insignia of the Apostolic Chamber and the coat of arms of the Cardinal Chamberlain

Third series (2006–2013)

When the new pope was elected, the third series of Vatican euro coins were issued on 27 April 2006 and feature the effigy of Pope Benedict XVI. The coins carry an inscription "Città del Vaticano" and the twelve stars of Europe. The details of this design are published in the Official Journal of the European Union.^[3]

Depiction of Vatican euro coinage (since 2006) | Obverse side

€ 0.01	€ 0.02	€ 0.05
Effigy of Benedict XVI.
€ 0.10	€ 0.20	€ 0.50
Effigy of Benedict XVI.
€ 1.00	€ 2.00	€ 2 Coin Edge
		for a total of 12 stars
Effigy of Benedict XVI.

Circulating Mintage quantities

Future changes to national sides

The Commission of the European Communities issued a recommendation on 19 December 2008, a common guideline for the national sides and the issuance of euro coins intended for circulation. One section of this recommendation stipulates that:

Article 5. Changes to the national sides of regular euro coins intended for circulation:

"... the designs used for the national sides of the euro coins intended for circulation denominated in euro or in cent should not be modified, except in cases where the Head of State referred to on a coin changes ... A temporary vacancy or the provisional occupation of the function of Head of State should not give the right to change the national sides of the regular euro coins intended for circulation."

This change means that there will be no more "Sede Vacante" series of the regular Vatican euro coins, although the issue of commemorative "Sede Vacante" series (usually gold and silver coins), having legal tender in Vatican City only, remains possible. Circulating €2 commemorative Sede Vacante coins would also be possible, if the Sede Vacante period occurs in a year in which the Vatican has not already released a €2 commemorative of another subject. It is expected that the design of the coins will be changed for Pope Francis, who was elected on 13 March 2013.^[5]

€2 commemorative coins

• 75th anniversary of the Foundation of the Vatican City State (2004)
• XX World Youth Day in Cologne (2005)
• 500th anniversary of the Swiss Pontifical Guard (2006)
• 80th anniversary of the birth of Benedict XVI (2007)
• Year of the Apostile (2008)
• International Year of Astronomy (2009)
• Year of the Priests (2010)
• XXVI World Youth Day in Madrid (2011)
• 7th Meeting of the Families (2012)
• XXVIII World Youth Day in Rio de Janeiro (2013)
• Sede vacante (2013)

See also

• Index of Vatican City-related articles

References

External links

• Vatican Numismatic Office
• The Euro Information Website – Vatican – Series 1 Series 2 Series 3
• European Commission Vatican euro coins
• European Commission Commemorative Vatican euro coins

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