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1 Lev Srebro
| Issuer | Българската Народна Банка (Bulgarian National Bank) |
|---|---|
| Year | 1916 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | 1 Lev |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Obverse description | The obverse is dominated by a central guilloche vignette of lozenge form, printed in brown and teal, with the denomination ЕДИНЪ ЛЕВЪ СРЕБРО in large bold Cyrillic lettering at the centre. The bank title БЪЛГАРСКАТА НАРОДНА БАНКА arches across the top of the vignette, flanked by teal numeral "1" counters at lower left and right, with six-petalled rosette ornaments at the corners. Below the central vignette appear the titles Управитель and Касиеръ with spaces for two manuscript signatures, and a serial number is printed in the upper right corner. |
|---|---|
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| Reverse lettering | Левъ Единъ Единъ За подправка виновнитѣ се наказватъ съгласно §§ 183 и 191 отъ наказ. законъ. (Translation: Lev One One For forgery the guilty are punished according to Art. 183 and 191 of the criminal law) |
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| Comments |
Bulgaria entered the First World War on the Central Powers side in October 1915, and by 1916 the strain on the monetary system was already acute. Silver coinage had vanished from circulation almost immediately — hoarded or melted — and this small-denomination note was issued precisely to fill that gap, substituting paper for the 1 Lev silver coin that had effectively ceased to function as currency.
Printed in Berlin by the Reichsdruckerei, the production arrangement reflects Bulgaria's wartime dependency on its German ally for materiel of all kinds, including currency manufacture. The Reichsdruckerei handled printing for several Central Powers and allied states during this period.
The series is occasionally found with significant foxing due to wartime paper quality.