Vatican Banknotes Catalog

The history of banknotes in the Vatican is relatively short but fascinating. Unlike many other countries, the Vatican did not issue its own banknotes until well into the 20th century, using mainly coins and the Italian lira as a medium of exchange.

Current banknotes in circulation

Since 2002, the Vatican has used the euro as its official currency, issuing its own coins but not banknotes. The euro banknotes circulating in the Vatican are the same as those used throughout the euro zone. However, the Vatican has a special agreement with the European Union that allows it to mint a limited number of euro coins with its own designs, highly prized by collectors.

Old Vatican banknotes

Before the adoption of the euro, the Vatican issued its own banknotes for a brief period. In 1929, following the Lateran Pacts establishing the Vatican City State, the Vatican lira was introduced. The first banknotes were issued in 1929 and continued until 2002. These banknotes, now considered collector's items, featured images of popes, Vatican buildings and religious symbols. An important milestone was the 1942 issue, which included banknotes with the portrait of Pope Pius XII, marking the first time a living pope appeared on a Vatican banknote.

If you are a collector, you can create your own collection and add your Vatican banknotes, generate your own free pdf catalog from your control panel thanks to our complete database and use all our banknote management tools. In addition, once entered you can start exchanges with collectors from all over the world easily and for free. There are no limits at Foronum!

Valuable banknotes

The most valuable Vatican banknotes sought after by collectors are the following:

Old Vatican banknotes

You can consult other banknotes related to Vatican, these catalogs are usually country history: former countries, unifications, independence provinces, colonies, etc.

• Vaticano States Papals

Banknote Catalog