1 Lev 1st Coat of Arms

Bulgaria's 1962 coinage reform followed the currency redenomination of that year, in which the lev was revalued at 10 old leva to 1 new — a hard reset after a decade of post-war monetary instability under the People's Republic. This issue belongs to the first standardized series produced under the new system, struck at the Bulgarian Mint in Sofia during its early years of expanded capacity.

The "1st Coat of Arms" designation distinguishes it from later type revisions; the arms were modified in 1967, making this a short-run type by default.