Catalog
5 Leva Srebro
| Issuer | Bulgarska Narodna Banka (Bulgarian National Bank) |
|---|---|
| Year | 1899 |
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| Value | 5 Leva |
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|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | БЪЛГАРСКА НАРОДНА БАНКА ПЕТЬ ЛЕВА Въ замѣна на тая банкнота Българската Народна Банка плаща предявителю петъ лева сребро Управитель Кассиеръ (Translation: Bulgarian National Bank / Five Leva / In exchange of this banknote the Bulgarian National Bank pays the bearer five leva silver / Governor / Cashier) |
| Reverse description | The reverse carries a central intaglio vignette of a Bulgarian peasant in traditional national costume guiding a wooden plough drawn by two horses across a ploughed field, with trees and a rural dwelling visible in the background. The scene is framed by symmetrical guilloche borders with ornamental corner rosettes and bold numeral 5 counters at each corner. The overall design is executed in a single dark colour with fine engine-turned lathe-work surrounds. |
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| Comments |
Bulgaria's 1899 silver-backed leva notes — "Srebro" meaning silver — were issued under the convertibility provisions of the Bulgarian National Bank's founding statutes, which obligated the bank to maintain a metallic reserve against its circulating paper. The Bradbury, Wilkinson engraving is characteristically fine for the period; the firm was among the most technically accomplished security printers in Europe at the time and handled commissions from numerous newly independent states seeking internationally credible paper currency.
Bulgaria had only gained full independence from Ottoman suzerainty in 1908 — this note predates that by nearly a decade, issued while the country was still nominally a principality under nominal Ottoman suzerainty. The "Srebro" designation was not decorative; it carried legal weight under the bank's charter.