I recently purchased these from a local coin shop, and after many attempts at researching the coins, I've barely found any information. Could you help identify the dates, the composition (they appeared silver plated), and any of the history behind them? Any information regarding these coins would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance.
I don't think these are circulating coins. They look more like medals or some kind of commemorative. Here are some Vatican coins for comparison. Coins should have a denomination. Many Vatican coins are dated by year of papal reign (In Roman numerals) rather than by AD dates. But these don't appear to have any date at all. d
I agree! I have around 30 Papal States coins/ here are some.... 1/2/ Papal States/ Bologna AV 10 Zecchini 1787 Bologna Mint Pope Pius VI 3/ Papal States/ Avignon AV Florino d'oro ND Avignon mint Pope Urban V
Honestly, they look more like tourist souvenirs you'd find in a gift shop. I don't think these are coins.
They are not coins or official medals minted by the Vatican. they are medals minted privately for sales to tourists. they may contain a small amount of silver but are mostly silver plated.
I checked my Allen G. Berman "Papal Coins" reference book. These are not recognized papal coins. Both @angelo43 and @physics-fan3.14 are correct. I hope you did not buy them thinking that they were coins. They might make good gifts to a family member for a special occasion.
Don't worry, they were only a dollar a piece from an assorted coins bin. I knew they weren't going to be worth much, I just loved the design.
I've bid on a few but gotten beat (in fairness, I was saving my serious $$$ for FUN so it was mostly "stink-bids"). Does the Bank of Italy or some Italian govenrment agency do the minting for the Vatican ? I'm sure they don't have their own presses, given their limited volumes.
They’re very nice. They would make a wonderful gift for a service person who is getting ready to deploy to Afghanistan or Iraq.
