10 Stotinki - Alexander I Pattern

Obverse description	The Bulgarian state coat of arms occupies the central field, depicting a rampant lion on a horizontally striped shield, supported by two rampant lions as shield-bearers, each holding a lance with pennant. The shield is surmounted by a large royal crown with cross finial, and the whole achievement is set beneath a draped mantle. A ribbon below the shield bears the national motto in Cyrillic. The Cyrillic legend БЪЛГАРИЯ arcs along the upper periphery within a beaded border.
Obverse script	Cyrillic
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Additional information	Bulgaria's first coinage was struck in 1879 following the Liberation from Ottoman rule, with patterns produced in multiple metals and sizes to test designs before the official series was approved. This copper pattern for the 10 Stotinki was never adopted — the circulating issue was struck in bronze at a smaller module, and production was contracted to the Birmingham Mint rather than a Bulgarian facility, as the new principality had no mint of its own. Prince Alexander I had been on the throne less than a year when these patterns were evaluated. The oversize copper trials were likely produced for submission to the Bulgarian monetary commission in 1879.