5 Scudi - Festing

The Sovereign Military Order of Malta occupies a peculiar position in modern numismatics: it issues currency as a sovereign entity despite controlling no territory, its jurisdiction effectively limited to two buildings in Rome and a fort in Valletta under a 1998 agreement. These gold pieces are legal tender within that framework, though none circulate. Matthew Festing served as 79th Prince and Grand Master from 2008 until his forced resignation in 2017 — an unprecedented intervention by Pope Francis following an internal dispute over the distribution of contraceptives in Myanmar.