Vatican euro coins

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 Vatican City is not a member of the eurozone or the European Union. All coins are inscribed with the word "Città del Vaticano", the year of issue and the twelve stars of Europe.

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.Vatican Euro Coins

Second series (2005) Following the death of Pope John Paul II in April 2005, Vatican City 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.The description of the new national side can be found in the Official Journal of the European Union C308/17 (6/12/05) (PDF)

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.Official Journal of the European Union: New National Faces Of Euro Coins Intended For Circulation - Vatican City, C 186/2, Retrieved on 2006-11-29

Fourth series (2014–2016) A series of Vatican euro coins featuring effigies of Pope Francis was released in March 2014."Vatican Issues Euro Coins Featuring Pope Francis". KMBZ, 4 March 2014. (accessed 10 March 2014) Three different images of Francis were used.PONTIFICATE OF POPE FRANCIS - EURO COINS PROOF VERSION - YEAR 2014. Vatican City State. (accessed 10 March 2014)

Fifth series (2017–2025) As a result of Pope Francis no longer permitting that his effigies be used on coins, starting March 2017, the eight denominations of Vatican euro coins no longer bore the Pope's image but his papal coat of arms.

Sixth series (2026–) On 30 July 2026, the Governorate of the Vatican City State published the images of the new series of ordinary coins, following the election of Pope Leo XIV as Supreme Pontiff the previous year.

After 10 years, the pontiff's effigy is once again featured on coins, specifically on the € 1 and € 2 denominations and the € 0.10, € 0.20, and € 0.50 coins. The coat of arms of Pope Leo XIV is featured on the € 0.01, € 0.02, and € 0.05 coins. The € 2 coin, in addition to featuring the Pope's effigy, also features the distinctive elements of his coat of arms: the lily, a symbol of purity and Marian devotion, and the burning heart pierced by an arrow above a book, an emblem of Augustinian spirituality and the power of the Word of God, capable of transforming the human heart.

Circulating mintage quantities Face Value€0.01€0.02€0.05€0.10€0.20€0.50€1.00€2.00 2002 6,000 6,000 6,000 6,000 6,000 6,000 6,000 6,000 2003 s s s s s s s s 2004 s s s s s s s s 2005 s s s s s s s s 2005 SV s s s s s s s s 2006 s s s s s s s s 2007 s s s s s s s s 2008 6,400 6,400 6,400 6,400 6,400 6,400 6,400 6,400 2009 6,400 6,400 6,400 6,400 6,400 6,400 6,400 6,400 2010 s s s s s 2,190,704 s s 2011 s s s s s 2,174,197 s s 2012 s s s s s 1,604,690 s s 2013 s s s s s 1,941,484 s s 2014 s s s s s 1,488,376 s s 2015 s s s s s 2,021,682 s s 2016 s s s s s 2,207,676 s s 2017 s s s s s 2,132,411 s s 2018 s s s s s 2,147,169 s s 2019 s s s s s 2,157,248 s s 2020 s s s s s 1,816,540 s s 2021 s s s s s 1,647,133 s s 2022 s s s s s 1,896,411 s s 2023 s s s s s 1,869,916 s ss: small quantities minted for sets only

Future changes to national sides The European Commission 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), being 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 Vatican City has not already released two €2 commemorative coins of another subject. Such coins were indeed minted for the Sede Vacantes of 2013 and 2025.

Commemorative coins

Year Subject Volume 2004 75th anniversary of the Foundation of the Vatican City State 2005 20th World Youth Day in Cologne 2006 500th anniversary of the Swiss Pontifical Guard 2007 80th anniversary of the birth of Benedict XVI 2008 Year of the Apostile 2009 International Year of Astronomy 2010 Year of the Priests 2011 XXVI World Youth Day in Madrid 2012 7th World Meeting of the Families 2013 Sede vacante 2013 XXVIII World Youth Day in Rio de Janeiro 2014 25 years since the fall of the Berlin Wall 2015 8th Meeting of the Families 2016 Bicentenary of the Vatican Gendarmerie 2016 Jubilee of Mercy 2017 1950th Anniversary of the Martyrdom of Saint Peter & Saint Paul 2017 Centenary of the Fatima Apparitions

Other commemorative coins (collectors' coins)

Vatican euro coins

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