The 2009 Vatican euro cent series was issued during the sede vacante period following no papal death — Benedict XVI was reigning — but the coin carries particular documentary weight because 2009 was the year the Vatican signed a monetary agreement with the European Union formally regularizing its euro coinage rights, replacing an informal arrangement that had existed since the euro's 2002 introduction.
The 2009 Vatican euro cent series was issued during the sede vacante period following no papal death — Benedict XVI was reigning — but the coin carries particular documentary weight because 2009 was the year the Vatican signed a monetary agreement with the European Union formally regularizing its euro coinage rights, replacing an informal arrangement that had existed since the euro's 2002 introduction.