250 Shillings Pope John Paul II kissing bible

Issued in 2005, the year of John Paul II's death, this Somali commemorative was produced as part of the broad wave of memorial issues that flooded the market following his passing on April 2nd. Somalia's coin program during this period was effectively a licensing operation — the country issued dozens of collector pieces annually with no meaningful domestic circulation, the program administered entirely by overseas distributors targeting the European and American commemorative market.

Silver-plated copper-nickel rather than solid silver — worth noting for buyers who encounter this piece misrepresented.