2 Euros

Issued in the Jubilee year of 2000, this coin predates Vatican City's formal entry into the Eurozone — which did not occur until 2002 — making it a non-circulating commemorative struck under a special monetary agreement with Italy. Pope John Paul II authorized a limited series for that year's Holy Year celebrations, and these pieces were sold exclusively in Vatican-issued sets rather than released into general circulation, which accounts for the near-universal gem condition in which they appear today.