Vatican wins prize for best gold coin of the year

Vatican City/Oklahoma City - Gold, splendour and glory are not necessarily associated with Pope Francis. And yet it is a coin from his pontificate with which the Vatican has won the "Coin Oscar" for the first time – against a lot of competition and with a theme that is typical of Francis.

Published on 01.09.2025 at 12:45 –

The Vatican City State has won the prize for the best gold coin of the year for the first time. The winner of the "Coin of the Year" competition is the 50-euro gold coin on the theme of "War and Peace", which was issued by the Governorate of the Vatican City State last year. The motif is a work by the young Roman artist Chiara Principe. A total of 550 coins were submitted in the competition, which has been organised since 1984. "The competition was fierce and several coins went head-to-head right up to the last moment," the Governorate announced.

The reverse of the coin is divided into two halves, each showing the silhouette of a man. While the man on the left holds a rifle in his hand and a column of smoke rises in the background, a girl with a flower in her hand stands in front of him on the right, with birds in the background. A barbed wire on the left merges into an olive branch on the right. The obverse shows the coat of arms of Pope Francis.

Other winning coins show Notre Dame

The prize was awarded last week in Oklahoma City (USA) at the meeting of the American Numismatic Society. Prizes were awarded in a total of ten categories, with the Vatican winning in the "Gold Coins" category. Coins with ecclesiastical motifs were successful in two other categories: France received the prize in the categories for the best coin honouring a current event and for the most innovative coin. Both relate to the restoration of Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris. The 25 euro coin, which was honoured for its innovation, contains a microchip that can be scanned to obtain a digital certificate of ownership for the coin.

The Vatican is not a member of the EU. Nevertheless, it is one of the associated euro users along with other small European states. According to an agreement with the EU from 2010, the Vatican is authorised to mint coins with an initial value of 2.3 million euros per year, plus a variable number of coins based on the number issued in Italy. Collector coins are counted towards the quota, but are not legal tender in the EU. The Vatican State must submit its coin designs in advance to the EU Commission, which checks their compliance with EU regulations. Vatican euros are coveted collector's items and their sale contributes to the financing of the Vatican State. The Vatican State must put 51 per cent of its coins into general circulation each year at face value. (fxn)