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5000 Leva
| Issuer | Bulgarian National Bank |
|---|---|
| Year | 1925 |
| Type | Standard circulation banknote |
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|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | Петь Хиляди Лева Българската Народна Банка Плаща Предявителю София 1925 (Translation: Five Thousand Leva The Bulgarian National Bank Pays the Bearer Sofia 1925) |
| Reverse description | The central vignette presents a detailed intaglio rendering of the Alexander Nevsky Cathedral in Sofia, set within an elaborate guilloche framework. Flanking panels carry the denomination value in Cyrillic script and numeral form repeated at left and right. The header inscription in French runs across the top of the note, with a legal warning against forgery rendered in smaller Cyrillic text along the lower margin. |
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| Comments |
Bulgaria's postwar finances were in poor shape by the mid-1920s. The country had backed the losing side twice — in the Second Balkan War and in WWI — and was burdened by reparations under the Treaty of Neuilly. The 5000 Leva denomination reflects the inflationary pressure the lev was under throughout this period, with large-denomination notes becoming a practical necessity rather than a luxury issue.
Commissioning Bradbury Wilkinson in London was a deliberate credibility move. Bulgarian-printed currency had struggled to maintain public confidence, and foreign production carried an implicit guarantee of quality and security printing that domestic facilities couldn't match. The involvement of three named Bulgarian designers — Bozhinov, Denev, and Shturkelov — is notable; Bozhinov in particular was a prominent illustrator and caricaturist, an unusual profile for banknote work.