1 Dollar Death of John Paul II

John Paul II died in April 2005, and Palau — a reliable producer of themed commemorative issues for the international collector market — released this piece six years after his death, the same year he was beatified by Pope Benedict XVI in May 2011. The beatification ceremony in St. Peter's Square drew an estimated 1.5 million pilgrims, the largest gathering in Rome since the pope's own funeral.