Owner Comments:
This coin commemorates Pope Paul VI’s first visit to the Philippines on Nov 27-30, 1970. The obverse features the bust of the Pope with his name, “PAPA PAULO VI” inscribed on the right side. It also has Frank Gasparro’s initials on the bottom left of the bust. He was the chief engraver of the U.S. Mint at that time.
The inscription around the coin in Filipino reads, “Visit of the Pope to the Philippines.” This coin was minted at the U.S. Mint in San Francisco.
The reverse features the bust of Philippine president Ferdinand E. Marcos. Inscription in Filipino reads, “President of the Philippines.”
According to the insert in a Postal Numismatic Cover made by the 99 Company of San Clemente, California, "The coin’s die, used to make both the silver and nickel coins, was rushed to the Sherritt Mint of Canada so it could be struck in time for the pontiff’s arrival."
On June 23, 1970, the Holy Father announced his intent to visit Asia and Oceania in order to study the problems facing the Church in these regions. In the Philippines, bulwark of Christianity in Asia, the Holy Father will address the Bishops’ Meeting in Manila which has for its themes the “Socio-Econimic Development of Asian Peoples” and the “Pastoral Care of University Students.”
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This coin shows an attractive high quality of luster and strike. It has few, small contact marks scattered on the obverse and reverse but overall, this coin’s quality is above average and eye appeal is very pleasing. I acquired this coin raw and had it slabbed. I am happy with the grade it received.
⚙️ Coin Specifications and Information
Composition: Silver
Fineness: 0.9000
Weight: 26.4500g
ASW: 0.7653oz
Diameter: 38.3mm
Edge: Reeded
Alignment: ⬆️ ⬇️
Mintage: 30,000
KM# 202a
📆 A Brief History of Pope Paul VI
Pope Paul VI was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 21 June 1963 to his death in 1978. Succeeding John XXIII, he continued the Second Vatican Council, which he closed in 1965, implementing its numerous reforms. He fostered improved ecumenical relations with Eastern Orthodox and Protestant churches, which resulted in many historic meetings and agreements.
Pope Paul VI was born Giovanni Battista Enrico Antonio Maria Montini, on 26 September 1897. He served in the Holy See's Secretariat of State from 1922 to 1954. While in the Secretariat of State, Montini and Domenico Tardini were considered to be the closest and most influential advisors of Pope Pius XII. In 1954, Pius named Montini Archbishop of Milan, the largest Italian diocese. Montini later became the Secretary of the Italian Bishops' Conference. John XXIII elevated him to the College of Cardinals in 1958, and after the death of John XXIII, Montini was considered one of his most likely successors. Upon his election to the papacy, Montini took the name Paul VI.
He re-convened the Second Vatican Council, which had automatically closed with the death of John XXIII. After the council had concluded its work, Paul VI took charge of the interpretation and implementation of its mandates, often walking a thin line between the conflicting expectations of various groups within Catholicism. The magnitude and depth of the reforms affecting all fields of church life during his pontificate exceeded similar reform programs of his predecessors and successors. Paul VI spoke repeatedly to Marian conventions and Mariological meetings, visited Marian shrines and issued three Marian encyclicals. Following Ambrose of Milan, he named Mary as the Mother of the Church during the Second Vatican Council. Paul VI described himself as a humble servant for a suffering humanity and demanded significant changes from the rich in North America and Europe in favor of the poor in the Third World. His positions on birth control, promulgated famously in the 1968 encyclical Humanae vitae, were often contested, especially in Western Europe and North America. The same opposition emerged in reaction to the political aspects of some of his teaching.
On 6 August 1978 at 21:41 Paul VI died in Castel Gandolfo. According to the terms of his will, he was buried in the "true earth" and therefore, he does not have an ornate sarcophagus but is buried in a grave beneath the floor of Saint Peter's Basilica, though in an area of the basilica's crypt near the tombs of other popes.
Following the standard procedures that lead to sainthood, Pope Benedict XVI declared that the late pontiff had lived a life of heroic virtue and conferred the title of Venerable upon him on 20 December 2012. Pope Francis beatified him on 19 October 2014 after the recognition of a miracle attributed to his intercession. His liturgical feast was celebrated on the date of his birth on 26 September until 2019 when it was changed to the date of his sacerdotal ordination on 29 May. Pope Francis canonized Paul VI on 14 October 2018.
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📖 Information sources:
Insert, 2-coin commemorative set issued by the Banko Sentral ng Pilipinas
Wikipedia contributors. (2021, November 28). Sheldon coin grading scale. In Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved 21:35, November 30, 2021, from https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Sheldon_coin_grading_scale&oldid=1057517579
NGC, World Coin Price Guide, Philippines Coin Price Guide (Powered by NumisMaster), Retrieved 10:45, November 30, 2020, from https://www.ngccoin.com/price-guide/world/philippines-piso-km-202b-1970-cuid-1085359-duid-1519617
Numista Coin Catalog. Coins from Philippines. Retrieved 10:22, November 30, 2021, from https://en.numista.com/catalogue/pieces27644.html
Wikipedia contributors. (2021, November 15). Pope Paul VI. In Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved 19:57, November 30, 2021, from https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Pope_Paul_VI&oldid=1055348557