102755 | ITALY. Vatican City. Pope Pius XII silver Medal.

102755  |  ITALY. Vatican City. Pope Pius XII silver Medal. Issued 1956. Commemorating his 80th birthday (44mm, 36.48 g, 12h). By A. Mistruzzi.

 

PIVS • XII • PONTIFEX • MAXIMVS • ANNO • MCMLVI, bust right, wearing stole and zucchetto // IVSTITIAE • CARITATIS • ALTOR • POPVIORVM • PROVEHIT • PACEM, loggia with three facing statues of Justice, Charity, and Peace. Edge: Plain.

 

Cusumano-Modesti 242; Calò 59; De Luca 242. Choice Mint State. Extremely brilliant and prooflike, with some burnished iridescence located closer to portions of the edges.

 

Being elected to the papacy just six months before the outbreak of World War II, Pius XII spent a large portion of his early reign dealing with the global conflict, garnering some allegations of silence with respect to Germany's treatment of the Jews. The continued emergence of communism served as a backdrop of his reign as well, with a decree being issued against it. In it, he declared that Catholics who subscribed to such political beliefs would be excommunicated from the fold as apostates.

 

Upload: 3 September 2024.