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5 Leva Srebro
| Issuer | Bulgarska Narodna Banka (Bulgarian National Bank) |
|---|---|
| Year | 1899 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | 5 Leva |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Obverse description | The left panel carries an oval intaglio vignette of the Bulgarian state coat of arms — a crowned lion rampant on a shield flanked by two flags — set within elaborate guilloche borders and ornamental rosettes. The central text field, printed on an orange guilloche underprint, bears the denomination and the promise-to-pay legend in Cyrillic, below which appear two handwritten signatures over their respective title lines. Numeral 5 counters in bold letterpress appear at all four corners, with repeated micro-text guilloche bands framing the entire design. |
|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | БЪЛГАРСКА НАРОДНА БАНКА ПЕТЬ ЛЕВА Въ замѣна на тая банкнота Българската Народна Банка плаща предявителю петъ лева сребро Управитель Кассиеръ (Translation: Bulgarian National Bank / Five Leva / In exchange of this banknote the Bulgarian National Bank pays the bearer five leva silver / Governor / Cashier) |
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| Comments |
Bulgaria's 1899 silver-backed leva notes — "Srebro" meaning silver — were issued under the convertibility provisions of the Bulgarian National Bank's founding statutes, which obligated the bank to maintain a metallic reserve against its circulating paper. The Bradbury, Wilkinson engraving is characteristically fine for the period; the firm was among the most technically accomplished security printers in Europe at the time and handled commissions from numerous newly independent states seeking internationally credible paper currency.
Bulgaria had only gained full independence from Ottoman suzerainty in 1908 — this note predates that by nearly a decade, issued while the country was still nominally a principality under nominal Ottoman suzerainty. The "Srebro" designation was not decorative; it carried legal weight under the bank's charter.