The Papal States have have been minting coins since around the seventh century; in 1929, when Vatican City became is own territory, the coins began to receive an imprint of that new independent country. The obverse is often either the Pope who was reigning or the Pope's Coat of Arms. Each of these can be seen below when comparing the coins from c1490 to 1939. On the c1490 coin, one notes, on the obverse, the crossed "Keys of the Kingdom," in reference to the New Testament passage where Christ entrusts these to St. Peter. The reverse displays a scene that is also reminiscent of both St. Peter and the storm on the sea where the disciples were frightened and Peter pleaded that the storm would stop. In the NT passage, this is indeed what happened. Imagine the 1490s--a decade of seafarers, on seas that were exponentially more dangerous than today (because of the construction of the boats as well as other factors.) The 1939 coin has a portrait of the reigning Pope--Pius XII. On the reverse, there is again the scene of Peter in the nearly capsizing-boat as the storm rages. One interpretation for this particular year is world tension that will lead to World War II. Quite aptly, one of Winston Churchill's biographical volumes is "The Gathering of the Storm." So Peter in the endangered boat might be interpreted as the great risk of upcoming war that was present in 1939. Does anyone else have Papal States or Vatican coins they would like to share? And any insights into the history of the coin?
I do like Papal States coins. They can be hard to identify--many of the different versions don't have photos in Krause and may not always be in Numista. But it's a fun challenge to figure out, I guess. Papal States 1600 Clement VIII Papal States Gubbio 1750 Quattrino Jubilee Year Papal States Ferrara 1/2 Baiocco Benedict XIV year 11 1751 Papal States 1 Quattrino Benedict XVI year XVI 1755 or 1766 Papal states 1796 2 1/2 Baiocchi Papal States 1868 4 Soldi Papal States 1 Lira Pius IX Year XIII 1869 I have some Vatican City coins around somewhere too...
Here's one volume of a 4-volume set that lists all the coins from Day One, by Montini. It also has mint information as well as information on varieties. This reference work is hard to find but there is one-volume book by Alan Berman that one can often find for a reasonable price. The plates in the back of the Mutoni book seem to be easier to figure out the WC, especially when looking at them under a magnifier: I find the Papal copper coins interesting--especially when compared to how they age when compared to Early American copper coins and ancient brass coins. Peter Jencius has done a nice job on his book of Vatican City coins. That 1750 Jubilee coin is especially neat--imagine how nice to can be to start afresh!
The Church has been likened to a ship since at least the time of Tertullian 150-240 AD until the present. A common appellation for the Church is the Barque of Saint Peter, so St. Peter steering a vessel is a visual representation of the Church. Here is a rather rough copy of a Venetian ducat, where Saint Mark and the Doge of Venice have been replaced by Saint Peter and the Duke of Milan. You can just make out PETRUS on the left of the obverse. Probably struck in Chios circa 1356-61 AD. Here is the Venetian original, .S.M.VENETI for Saint Mark of Venice, who is often shown in his guise as a lion on other coins of Venice. 1289-1311 AD
