20 Cent

This piece belongs to the sede vacante issue struck following the death of John Paul II in April 2005 — a short series produced specifically for the interregnum period before Benedict XVI's election, authorized by the Camerlengo of the Holy Roman Church, Cardinal Eduardo Martínez Somalo. Vatican coinage during a papal vacancy is among the rarest of modern euro issues by design type, as production ceases the moment a new pope is elected.