10 Santim - Ferdinand I Essai

Ferdinand I was elected Prince of Bulgaria in July 1887 following the forced abdication of Alexander I of Battenberg, but his position was deeply precarious — Russia refused to recognize him, and the Great Powers withheld formal acknowledgment for years. These essai pieces were struck as part of the process of establishing a coinage infrastructure for the new regime, testing designs and compositions before committing to full production runs. The 10 santim denomination was never issued for circulation in copper under Ferdinand.