500 Lira Vatican Silver

1958, Italy, Vatican (City). Beautiful Silver “Sede Vacante” 500 Lire Coin. UNC+

Mint Year: 1958 References: KM-57. Denomination: 500 Lire Mint Place: Rome, Italy Condition: A nicely toned brilliant uncirculated in original case of issue! Diameter: 29mm Material: Silver Weight: 11gm

Obverse: Illuminated Holy Spirit above inscription and value (L.500). Legend: VENI SANCTES SPIRITVS / STATO DELLA CITTA DEL VATICANO / L. 500

Reverse: Coat of arms of Rev. Msgr. Federico Callori di Vignale (1890-1971), master of the sacred apostolic palace (1958-1965), surmounted by a tasseled clerical hat. Legend: SEDE VACANTE MCMLVIII / CIAMPAOLI

Sede vacante is an expression, used in the Canon Law of the Roman Catholic Church, that refers to the vacancy of the episcopal see (the official seat of a bishop) of a particular church. It is Latin for “the seat being vacant” (the ablative absolute to sedes vacans “vacant seat”), that is, the cathedra of the particular church.

Federico Callori di Vignale (December 15, 1890—August 10, 1971) was an Italian Cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as Master of the Sacred Apostolic Palace from 1958 to 1965, and was elevated to the cardinalate in 1965.

Federico Callori di Vignale was born in Vignale Monferrato to a noble family, and studied at the Pontifical Gregorian University and Pontifical Ecclesiastical Academy, both in Rome. He was ordained to the priesthood on December 16, 1917, and then did pastoral work in Rome until 1958. During that time, Callori was raised to the rank of Privy Chamberlain participant (July 6, 1919), Domestic Prelate of His Holiness (May 28, 1935), canon of St. Peter’s Basilica (June 3, 1935), and protonotary apostolic (June 6, 1935). He was made Pro-Master of the Papal Chamber on December 20, 1950 before becoming a Knight of the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic on January 12, 1953, and Master of the Sacred Apostolic Palace on October 29, 1958.

On February 15, 1965, Callori was appointed Titular Archbishop of Maiuca by Pope Paul VI, in advance for his elevation to the College of Cardinals. He received his episcopal consecration on the following February 21 from Cardinal Eugène-Gabriel-Gervais-Laurent Tisserant, with Archbishops Diego Venini and Pericle Felici serving as co-consecrators, in St. Peter’s Basilica.

Pope Paul created him Cardinal Deacon of S. Giovanni Bosco in via Tuscolana in the consistory of February 22 of that same year. Following the ceremony, which was somewhat disorganized as Enrico Dante, the Papal Master of Ceremonies, was one of the new cardinals and thus could not oversee, Callori reportedly complained, “Now they have made me more ridiculous than ever,” as he tossed his biretta onto his limousine seat. He lost the right to participate in any future papal conclaves upon reaching the age of eighty on December 15, 1970, and served as Cardinal Protodeacon from March 31, 1971 until his death.

Cardinal Callori died in Vatican City, at age 80. He is buried at his family’s chapel-tomb in his native Vignale Monferrato.