1 Grosch Imitation of Byzantine golden solidus, Anonymous ruler

The anonymous silver imitations of Byzantine gold produced under the Second Bulgarian Empire in the mid-fourteenth century reflect the economic subordination of the Bulgarian tsars to Byzantine monetary prestige — local rulers lacked the political credibility to circulate purely original designs, so they borrowed Constantinople's visual authority while striking in silver. The practice was widespread across the Balkans during this period, with Serbian, Wallachian, and Bulgarian mints all producing derivative types simultaneously.

Attribution of these pieces to a specific ruler remains contested. The 1350s bracket places this squarely in the turbulent reign of Ivan Alexander, whose empire was fragmenting under Ottoman pressure and internal division.