Collecting medals depicting various Popes and Vatican scenes and symbols is a great area of vintage religious medal collecting.  This variety of medal carries the portrait of a Pope on the front with various special emblems, devotions, or Vatican scenes and locations on the back.  They are commonly struck to commemorate special events in the life of the Church such as a Jubilee Year, the death of a Pope, the installation of a new Pontiff, or other special event.  This type of medal is also still quite affordable and fairly easy to find, making it an excellent starting point for the beginning collector.  I try to keep a variety of Papal and Vatican medals available in my Ebay auctions and Ebay store.  I hope you enjoy learning about this fascinating subject and that you'll make a point of visiting Susan's Vintage Catholic Medals.

TYPES OF PAPAL AND VATICAN MEDALS

Jubilee Medal commemorate the Pope's declaration of a special year of grace within the Church.  Typically, a year of Jubilee is called every 25 years, for example 1925, 1950, 1975, and 2000 were all years of Jubilee; however, the Holy Father can call for a Jubilee Year whenever he feels there is sufficient need in the church.   The Jubilee year is begun with a special ceremony that is a common motif on the back of papal medals:  Each of the four basilicas in Rome has a Holy Door that is sealed, only to be opened at the Anno Santo, or Holy Year (Jubilee).  The Holy Door of the Basilica of St. Peter's is opened in a special ceremony on Christmas Eve of the Holy Year and closed by the Pope the next Christmas.  This Holy Door and the ceremony surrounding it is a common theme for the back of a Jubilee Year medal.  Other Jubilee Year medals show the four basilicas of Rome separated by the arms of a cross upon which may be written Anno Santo.  An exception to this are Holy Year medals struck during the reign of Pius XI.  These typically show a detailed crucifixion scene.

  Pope Pius XII  Holy Door of 1950

Beatification or Canonization Medals are struck to commemorate a holy person's elevation to sainthood (Canonization) or when a holy person has completed the first step toward sainthood (Beatification).  On the front these medals show the Pope who declared the person to be a saint, or declared them 'blessed' in the case of beatification.  The back will show an image of the individual receiving the honor.

  Pius X    B. Maria Assunta Pallotta

Vatican Medals, as you may suspect, have a view of St. Peter's Square on the reverse.  This is a common theme among all Papal medals; however, it's fun to try collect as many different Vatican views as possible, or collect all the different Popes with the same Vatican view on the back.

 Pope Pius XII  St. Peter's Square

St Peter alone or St Peter and St. Paul together are frequently found on the back of Papal medals.  This is a reminder of the line of apostolic succession from St. Peter, the first Pope, to the present since the current Holy Father occupies the 'chair of St. Peter'.  St Peter may be recognized by the key he always holds and St. Paul is recognized by his association with a sword, the instrument of his martyrdom.

 Paul VI    Sts Peter & Paul

Special Occasion Medals is a broad category of medals that were struck to cover a variety of special events in the life of the Vatican.  For example, if the Pope blessed or specially recognized a group's ministry or devotion, a medal would be struck showing the Holy Father on one side and the emblem and name or motto of the organization on the reverse.  Or if a Pope presided over the special anniversary of an event in the life of the Church, a medal might be struck with his image and a scene commemorating that event.   Of course it is common for the Vatican to have a special medal struck commemorating the election of a new Pope or commemorating the death of the Holy Father.  The variety of this type of medal is endless and the search for new and different Special Occasion Medals is always fun and rewarding.

  Leo XIII     Papal Election 1878

The Image of the Blessed Virgin Mary as a special devotion of each Pope is commonly displayed on the back of Papal medals as well.  Here is a short list of Pontiffs along with the image of the Virgin Mary with which they are associated.

Pius IX (1845-1878)  The Virgin Mary as she appears on the Miraculous Medal.

Leo XIII (1878-1903)  Our Lady of the Rosary

Pius X (1903-1914)  Our Lady of Perpetual Help or Mother of Good Council

Benedict XV (1914-1922) ?

Pius XI (1922-1939) Mother of Good Counsel

Pius XII (1939-1958) Maria Assumpta

John XXIII (1958-1963) Mother of Good Counsel or O.L. of Perpetual Help

Paul VI (1963-1979) Our Lady of Perpetual Help

John Paul I (Aup-Sept 1978) ?

John Paul II (1978-2005) Our Lady of Czestochowa (Black Madonna of Poland)

Benedict XVI (2005-present) ? (I'll let you know....)

As you can tell, the variety of combinations of Popes and various medal backs is virtually endless.  Combine this with the variety of sizes, metal types, borders, and decoration possible and you see how papal medal collecting can become a lifelong hobby!   Good luck in all your medal searches and please remember to check out my Ebay store Susan's Vintage Catholic Medals.