Catalog
20 Stotinki - Ferdinand I
| Issuer | Bulgaria |
|---|---|
| Year | 1888 |
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| Reference(s) | KM#11 |
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|---|---|
| Obverse script | Cyrillic |
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| Reverse description | The denomination numeral '20' is prominently displayed in large raised figures at the top of the central field, with the Cyrillic legend СТОТИНКИ (Stotinki) inscribed immediately below, and the date 1888 positioned in the lower field. The entire design is encircled by a wreath composed of wheat ears on the right and rose branches with blooms on the left, tied at the base with a ribbon bow. An inner beaded border frames the composition. |
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| Additional information |
Bulgaria's first prince, Ferdinand of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, was elected in 1887 under deeply contested circumstances — Russia refused to recognize him, and the Ottoman Empire technically remained his sovereign. This 1888 issue belongs to his earliest coinage, struck while his political legitimacy was still disputed by two major powers simultaneously. The Bulgarian government pressed ahead with a national coin series partly to assert administrative normalcy in defiance of that ambiguity.
The copper-nickel alloy followed the Latin Monetary Union specifications Bulgaria was angling to align with, though full membership was never granted.