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1 Euro

Issuer Vatican City
Year 1998
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Technique Milled
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Obverse description Bimetallic fantasy trial piece. The copper-nickel centre features a right-facing bust of Pope John Paul II wearing a zucchetto and papal vestments, with the date 1998 incused in the left field. The brass outer ring carries the multilingual trial inscription PRUEBA, TRIAL, ESSAI, and PROBE separated by five-pointed stars in the upper arc, with the issuer legend CITTA' DEL VATICANO along the lower arc, flanked by additional stars.
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Reverse description The copper-nickel centre depicts a draped classical female figure, seated facing left, playing a large harp; the numeral '1' appears prominently to the right of the figure. An oval cartouche at the base of the design bears the word SPECIMEN. The brass outer ring is decorated with twelve five-pointed stars arranged around its circumference, referencing the standard Euro coinage design.
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Additional information

The Vatican's euro coinage was produced before the country formally adopted the euro as legal tender — these 1998 issues are specimen strikes made in anticipation of Eurozone entry, which didn't occur until January 1, 1999, and Vatican circulation euros didn't reach the public until 2002. Struck under the authority of Pope John Paul II, who reigned during the entire transitional period, they were distributed primarily through Vatican philatelic and numismatic services rather than through any banking channel.

Mintage figures for Vatican euro specimens from this preparatory period are exceptionally low, typically in the low thousands.

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