Currency > Bulgaria

As of July 1, 1993, the Bulgarian National Bank had put into circulation a new issue of coins of 10, 20 and 50 stotinki and 1, 2, 5, and 10 leva face value. The main artistic motif on the obverse of the 10, 20, and 50 stotinki coins is an image of a lion on a slabstone (11-13 century AD), found in the region of Stara Zagora. The text reads "Republic of Bulgaria." The main artistic motif on the obverse of the 1, 2, 5, and 10 leva coins is an image of the Madara Horseman - a rock relief from the early 8th century found near the village of Madara, Shoumen region. The text reads "Republic of Bulgaria."

The unit of currency in Bulgaria is the lev, divided into 100 stotinki. The Bulgarian National Bank is the bank of issue and handles government funds and state-owned enterprises.
 
On the 5th of July, 1999, the Bulgarian National Bank acted on the previously announced re-denomination of the Bulgarian Lev by introducing new banknotes and coins. The Bulgarian Council of Ministers together with the National Assembly passed and enacted a package of laws and decrees outlining and regulating the re-denomination well before the 5th of July, 1999. Starting at 12:00 am on Monday, the 5th of July, 1999, the Bulgarian lev was substituted by a new lev in a ratio of 1,000:1. That is to say, as of that date 1,000 old leva equaled 1 new lev (equal to 1 Deutsche Mark, 0.51 Euro or US$ 0.55).

The unit of currency in Bulgaria is the lev, divided into 100 stotinki. The Bulgarian National Bank is the bank of issue and handles government funds and state-owned enterprises. In 1974, a new series of coins and banknotes was released, with 6 coins and 5 banknotes being put in circulation.
 
In 1974, the Bulgarian National Bank put into circulation a new issue of coins of 1, 2, 5, 10, 20 and 50 stotinki face value. The obverse of all coins features the coat-of-arms of the People's Republic of Bulgaria (1947-1991). The text reads "People's Republic of Bulgaria."
The face value in figures and words, the year of issue (1974-1990), and two spikes of wheat (symbols of the socialist state) are inscribed on the reverse of all coins. The edge of all coins is serrated.

In 1951, the Bulgarian National Bank put into circulation 7 banknotes, with denominations of 3, 5, 10, 25, 50, 100, and 200 leva. All banknotes feature watermarks and anti-copy elements as protective measures.
 
The faces of the 3 and 5 leva banknotes depict the coat-of-arms of the People's Republic of Bulgaria and the text "People's Republic of Bulgaria". The backs of the banknotes depict a hammer and a sickle, symbol of the workers' and peasants' support for the Communist government. The face of the 10 leva banknote depicts Georgi Dimitrov (the first Communist leader of Bulgaria until his death in 1949), the coat-of-arms of the People's Republic of Bulgaria and the text "People's Republic of Bulgaria". The back of the banknote depicts a field being cultivated with agricultural machines.

Under a law passed by the National Assembly on June 4th, 1880, the Bulgarian state adopted as its national currency the lev, divided into 100 stotinki. For the duration of the Bulgarian monarchy from the 3rd of March, 1878, to the 15th of September, 1947, four monarchs and numerous series of banknotes and coins succeeded each other.
 
The face of this 200 leva banknote, issued in 1929, depicts King Boris III, Tsar of the Bulgarians, as well as the coat-of-arms of the Kingdom of Bulgaria. The white circle on the left portion of the banknote contains a watermark - a lion rampant. The text reads "The Bulgarian National Bank shall pay to the bearer 200 leva." The back of the banknote depicts Paisi Hilendarski (1722-1773), author of the historical work "Slaveno-Bulgarian History" and one of the forefathers of the Bulgarian National Revival of the 18th-19th centuries.

This coin is a silver grosh, minted during the reign of Tsar Ivan Aleksandur (r. 1331-1371) and his son Mihail Asen. According to the age-long custom, Mihail Asen was officially proclaimed to be the legal successor of and co-ruler of Bulgaria together with his father and their likeness was minted on coins.
However, Mihail Asen was killed in a battle with the Turks in 1355, and his half-brother Ivan Shishman - the last medieval Bulgarian ruler - was designated as the crown prince. The coin weighs 1.35 g. The front depicts Christ enthroned; the obverse depicts Ivan Aleksandur and Mihail Asen.