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20 Leva Zlatni
| Issuer | Българска Народна Банка (Bulgarian National Bank) |
|---|---|
| Year | 1917 |
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| Currency | First lev (1881-1952) |
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| Obverse description | The central panel bears the denomination inscription ДВАДЕСЕТЪ ЛЕВА ЗЛАТНИ in Cyrillic letterpress within an ornate guilloche framework. The issuer's name and redemption clause of the Bulgarian National Bank are arranged across the face in multiple text registers, set against a fine lathe-work underprint. The overall design is executed in a restrained two-colour scheme with geometric border ornamentation typical of early twentieth-century Giesecke & Devrient production. |
|---|---|
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| Reverse description | The reverse is dominated by two large numeral 20 counters in guilloche cartouches positioned symmetrically at left and right, with the word ДВАДЕСЕТЪ at the top and ЛЕВА at the bottom within scroll-edged tablets. A central rectangular panel contains the forgery-warning inscription in three lines of Cyrillic text, framed by interlocking guilloche rosettes and floral cornerpieces. The colour scheme combines olive-green and purple-brown lathe-work on a buff ground, with the printer's imprint ГИЗЕКЕ & ДЕВРИЕНЪ appearing in the lower margin. |
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| Comments |
Bulgaria entered the First World War on the side of the Central Powers in October 1915, and by 1917 the strain on the national treasury was severe enough that the government authorized a substantial expansion of the paper money supply. This note was printed by Giesecke & Devrient in Leipzig — a practical arrangement, since Bulgaria's German alliance made access to one of Europe's premier security printers straightforward. Wartime austerity is visible in the relatively simple watermark security.
The "Zlatni" designation — meaning "gold" — was a legal fiction by this point, as convertibility had been suspended at the outbreak of hostilities.