The Sovereign Military Order of Malta occupies a peculiar position in international law — it issues passports, maintains diplomatic relations with over 100 states, and produces legal tender coinage despite holding no sovereign territory beyond two buildings in Rome. Andrew Bertie, the 78th Grand Master, was a British-born cousin of Queen Elizabeth II who served from 1988 until his death in 2008. The Order's coins are struck in limited quantities and circulate almost exclusively among collectors; they have no functioning monetary economy whatsoever.
The Sovereign Military Order of Malta occupies a peculiar position in international law — it issues passports, maintains diplomatic relations with over 100 states, and produces legal tender coinage despite holding no sovereign territory beyond two buildings in Rome. Andrew Bertie, the 78th Grand Master, was a British-born cousin of Queen Elizabeth II who served from 1988 until his death in 2008. The Order's coins are struck in limited quantities and circulate almost exclusively among collectors; they have no functioning monetary economy whatsoever.