SEDE VACANTE COINS

 
1958 Vatican City 500 Lire. Image courtesy: NGC

Collectors of world coins are aware that when a monarch passes away, the design of the coins of that nation usually changes the very next year. The recent example of which most of us are aware is the passing of Queen Elizabeth and the ascension of King Charles to the throne of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. The queen's face graced the coins of Great Britain through 2022, and the new king took the spot in 2023. But there is one nation, albeit a tiny one, for which the death of the man on the coins means his face is immediately removed – the Vatican.

Vatican City is the smallest nation, with an area of 109 acres, all surrounded by the city of Rome. This tiny nation represents the last territory of what was once called the Papal States, which used to be a formidable area in the center of Italy up until 1870. For quite a long time, the Vatican issued lire coins that were in lockstep with those of Italy. After the switch to Euros, the Vatican changed, again keeping in stride with Italy.

Curiously, when a pontiff passes away, as Pope Francis did on Easter Monday, April 21, the Vatican changes its coinage to the Sede Vacante pieces. The term is Latin for "Vacant Seat." The image, which shows the prominent symbols of the pope, such as the keys of Saint Peter, but not any face, remains on the coins until the world has another pope.

To read the complete article, see:
Between One Pope and the Next – the Sede Vacante Coins (https://www.numismaticnews.net/between-one-pope-and-the-next-the-sede-vacante-coins)

 
The coin (Scudo) minted during the Sede Vacante and Jubilee Year of 1700

The current Sede Vacante presents several similarities with the one of 1700. That year, Pope Innocent XII passed away before the Holy Year he proclaimed concluded, leaving the Church without its Pastor.

Pope Innocent XII, known for his frail health in later years, suffered from podagra, a form of rheumatic illness that prevented him from personally opening the Holy Door at Christmas in 1699. He died on September 27, 1700, at the age of 85. His death ushered in a nearly two-month period of Sede Vacante before the election of his successor, Pope Clement XI, on November 23.

To commemorate the nearly two months of vacancy in the Chair of Peter, a coin was minted and is now displayed in the medal collection of the Vatican Apostolic Library. On its reverse, the dove of the Holy Spirit is depicted with the Latin verse from the Gospel of John: Non vos relinquam orphans, meaning "I will not leave you orphans" (John 14:18).

"It refers to the death of Innocent XII but also conveys a clear message of hope for the Conclave that was soon to begin," explains to Vatican News Professor Eleonora Giampiccolo, Director of the Numismatics Department of the Vatican Library.

The coins and medals preserved in the Numismatics Department of the Vatican Library carry a powerful communicative force: "They were essential means of communication. The images on them were understandable even to those who couldn't read," the scholar says. "A coin is also a means of exchange, while a medal is primarily a document, a medium of communication. It becomes a document for us, the scholars of posterity."

To read the complete article, see:
Sede Vacante and Jubilee: historical parallels with the Jubilee of 1700 (https://www.vaticannews.va/en/vatican-city/news/2025-05/sede-vacante-and-jubilee-historical-parallels-with-the-jubilee.html)

 

The Vatican City State announces that the commemorative stamps of the Sede Vacante MMXXV (2025) for postage use are on sale at the Vatican Post Offices, including the general public accessible sales points located in St. Peter's Square.

The philatelic series of the Sede Vacante MMXXV will also be available soon with a print run in line with market demand through the e-shop sales channels of the Commercializzazione Filatelica e Numismatica office, which will be reactivated this summer.

The stamps are divided into four postal values (€ 1.25 - € 1.30 - € 2.45 - € 3.20) and will be sold at their relative face value.

To read the complete article, see:
PRESS RELEASE POSTAGE STAMPS SEDE VACANTE MMXXV (https://www.vaticanstate.va/en/news/1850-press-release-postage-stamps-sede-vacante-mmxxv.html)

 

For more background on Wikipedia, see:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sede_vacante

To read earlier E-Sylum Sede Vacante articles, see:
MORE ON TRANSITIONAL PAPAL COINAGE (https://coinbooks.org/esylum_v08n15a03.html)
VATICAN RELEASES PLANS FOR 2013 SEDE VACANTE COINS (https://www.coinbooks.org/esylum_v16n09a24.html)
NEWMAN PORTAL SEARCH: 1719 SEDE VACANTE (https://www.coinbooks.org/v21/esylum_v21n22a12.html)

To read the earlier E-Sylum articles on the Bashlow pieces, see:
MORE ON THE BASHLOW KENNEDY POPE SATIRE MEDAL (https://www.coinbooks.org/v20/esylum_v20n36a11.html)
MORE BASHLOW PRODUCTIONS (https://www.coinbooks.org/v25/esylum_v25n21a13.html)
ROBERT BASHLOW, PART TWO (https://www.coinbooks.org/v25/esylum_v25n19a16.html)

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