1000 Lire - Ioannes Paulus II The Prodigal Son

By 1997, Vatican silver issues had become almost entirely collector-driven — the Holy See had long since ceased producing coinage for actual circulation, and these annual series were minted against specific pontifical themes chosen personally by John Paul II. The Prodigal Son subject falls within a multi-year scriptural program tied to preparations for the Jubilee Year 2000, which John Paul had been planning since the early 1990s as the defining event of his late pontificate.

KM#287 was struck at the Italian State Mint in Rome under the direction of engraver Oriolo Ferrario.