Vatican euro coins are unusual among the euro issues of European Union member states. Vatican City is not a member of the European Union. However, the Italian lira was legal tender there and the Vatican had no national currency of its own, so it too was authorized to adopt the euro as its official currency when Italy did.
Vatican euro coins are minted by the Rome Mint, as are Italian euro coins. Their reverse uses the common design shared across the European Union. The national side, identified by the country’s name, depicts the head of state: the reigning pope. Guido Veroi designed the portrait of John Paul II, then head of state of Vatican City, and Uliana Pernazza engraved it.
Coin catalogs by pontificate
Choose a pope to browse the regular denominations and commemorative coins. Sede vacante issues appear at the end of the catalog for the preceding pontificate.