103624 | ITALY. Vatican City. Pope Saint Ioannes XXIII silver Medal.

103624  |  ITALY. Vatican City. Pope Saint Ioannes XXIII silver Medal. Issued 1963. On his receiving of the Balzan Peace Prize (44mm, 40.35 g, 12h). By Pietro Giampaoli at the Rome mint.

 

IOANNES • XXIII • PONTIFEX • MAXIMVS / A MCMLXIII, bust right, wearing zucchetto and stole // SALVIFERAM • ORBI • PACEM / PROPOSVIT (he promoted world peace and salvation), the pope seated slightly right on throne, receiving the Balzan Peace Prize from Antonio Segni, President of the Italian Republic, and Giovanni Gronchi, President of the Prize Committee; various attendants around and in background; 10-V-63 in exergue. Edge: Plain.

 

Modesti 271. Choice Mint State. Handsomely mirrored and exceptionally toned.

 

Though he would serve as pope for just under five years before his death in October 1963, Ioannes XXIII would do much to modernize the church, with him placing a particular emphasis on spreading the message of peace and equality. It was for these efforts that he was one of the initial recipients of the Belzan Peace Prize in 1962—an award which he formally received, as shown on this medal, in May 1963.

 

Upload: 1 September 2026.