Please Help With a Vatican Memorial Medal

JadeRareCoin

Any idea as to who struck this proof? What's the reference for this type of material? Any help would be greatly appreciated! Thanks, Dennis

tbirde56

I doubt the Rome mint, maybe a private Italian mint?

JadeRareCoin

It's a medal, not a coin.

Brad, edited the title. Thanks. Any info on the piece?

Askari

I've seen it before, but I'm afraid I know little about papal medals. It is probably, however, that this was a private Italian mint issue. The Roman Mint often puts "Italy" on it (rather than "Italia" for no reason known to me). Vatican issues usually have the designer's name on it. Are there any edge markings?

JadeRareCoin

Askari, thanks for the info. I have a 3 coin set that is now back in a custom holder. I don't know if the edges are marked or not and it was difficult to assemble the coins back into the holder, so I will probably never know.

Here are the other 2 medals. I seem to remember the peace medal, but maybe there are many similar designs.

JadeRareCoin

ttt

JadeRareCoin

Are these just worth silver melt? Is there a web site with some reference material on these types of medals? A book? I cannot find any information on the medals. It seems to me that these were struck in 1958 (at least the 2 dated ones) and should have some collectible value.

JadeRareCoin

Well, I sold these on eBay and I guess that this is the true value: Link to our eBay auction

Not too bad. I paid $25 for the set.

Askari

That's probably not too bad. Real Vatican issues have a limited but devoted following and inasmuch as these are probably private issues, they get lumped into the "religious medal" pot of which there are scads, some produced cheaply and in huge quantities and others quite rare. $8-10 apiece for these silver medals is reasonable, plus a little premium for the holder. It just goes to show that when you deal with medals, you're dealing in the darkest of the Dark!! In terra incognita and without more than a scrap of map and rumors of treasures to be found.

farthing

It's just so hard to determine what medals like this are worth. Size seems to matter when it comes to medals, as does design style, engraver and relief. Then of course, there are some like elverno that are theme collectors.

As Askari points out there are a tremendous amount of religious themed material available. A collector interested in collecting items from a specific pope might bid up such an item, otherwise a small premium over melt may have been the best you could hope for.

Me, I prefer my medals larger and bronze.