View source for Vatican City 1959 500 lire

[[Image:SB224-75305o.jpg|300px|thumb|Stack's Bowers February 2024 Collector's Choice sale, lot 75305]]
[[Image:SB224-75305r.jpg|300px|thumb]]

This specimen was lot 75305 in Stack's Bowers Collector's Choice sale (Costa Mesa, CA, February 2024), where it sold for $125. The catalog description<sup>[1]</sup> noted, "[[Italy|ITALY]]. Papal (Vatican City). 500 Lire, 1959. Pope John XXIII. PCGS MS-66. This coin displays a stunning array of bold color - cobalt, aquamarine, plum and gold. Very attractive." In 1860, the king of Sardinia succeeded in unifying the Italian peninsula after centuries of fragmentation. The Papal States, protected by a French army, were not incorporated until 1870. The pope, denouncing the occupation of his domain, withdrew into the Vatican palace as a self-declared prisoner. Normal relations with the Italian government were not restored until Mussolini signed a concordat in 1929, granting the Pope sovereignty over [[Vatican]] City. Coinage began that year, struck at the Rome mint. Coins are issued for the Vatican City in symbolic amounts but as they are eagerly saved as souvenirs by tourists, they are not in short supply for collectors. This type, struck in 1959 for John XXIII, is common. The lira was retired in 1999 when [[Italy]] joined the euro.

''Recorded mintage:'' 30,000.

''Specification:'' 11 g, 0.835 fine silver, 29.3 mm diameter. 

''Catalog reference:'' KM-65.1, [[On the coinage of the Papal States|Ber-3416]]. 

''[[Bibliography|Source:]]''
* Berman, Allen G., ''Papal Coins,'' South Salem, NY: Attic Books, 1991.
* Gigante, Fabio, ''Gigante 2016: Catalogo Nazionale delle Monete Italiano Dal '700 All'Euro, 24a ed.'' Varese, Italy, 2015.
* Montenegro, Eupremio, ''Montenegro 2015: Manuale del Collezionista di Monete Italiane, 30 ed.,'' Torino, Italy: Montenegro s.a.s., 2014. 
* Michael, Thomas, and Tracy L. Schmidt, ''Standard Catalog of World Coins, 1901-2000, 47th ed.,'' Iola, WI: Krause Publications, 2019. 
* <sup>[1]</sup>Orsini, Matt, Kyle Ponterio and Jeremy Bostwick, ''February 2024 World Collectors Choice Online Auction,'' Costa Mesa, CA: Stack's Bowers Galleries, Inc., 2024.

''Link to:''
* [[Vatican City 1958 500 lire KM-56|1958 500 lire, Pius XII]]
* [[Vatican City 1958 500 lire KM-57|1958 500 lire, ''sede vacante'']]
* [[Vatican City 1959 100 lire Fr-292|1959 gold 100 lire]]
* [[Vatican City 1963 500 lire]] ''Sede Vacante''
* [[Coins and currency dated 1959]]

[[Category:Selections from the Stack's Bowers 2024 Collector's Choice sale]]