Sede Vacante coins are issued only during the interregnum between pontificates, struck under the authority of the Camerlengo rather than a reigning pope. The 2025 issue follows the death of Francis on April 21st of that year. These pieces are among the most reliably short-run Vatican euro issues — production halts the moment a new pope is elected — and unlike standard Vatican coinage, they carry no papal portrait, which places the Camerlengo's arms at the center of the design hierarchy.
Sede Vacante coins are issued only during the interregnum between pontificates, struck under the authority of the Camerlengo rather than a reigning pope. The 2025 issue follows the death of Francis on April 21st of that year. These pieces are among the most reliably short-run Vatican euro issues — production halts the moment a new pope is elected — and unlike standard Vatican coinage, they carry no papal portrait, which places the Camerlengo's arms at the center of the design hierarchy.