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500 Leva
| Issuer | Bulgarian National Bank |
|---|---|
| Year | 1922 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | Log in to see details |
| Currency | Log in to see details |
| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| In circulation to | 31 December 1937 |
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| Obverse description | The Bulgarian state coat of arms is centrally placed within a circular guilloche vignette, flanked on both sides by large denomination numerals '500' set against elaborate floral rosette underprints in blue and multicolour. A dense geometric border with folk-art motifs frames the entire note, and the lower portion carries two manuscript signatures above the date and place of issue, with a repeating text underprint of the bank name running across the lower field. |
|---|---|
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| Variants | P#39a - issued note P#39s1 - Specimen. Red overprint: SPECIMEN and punch hole cancelled P#39s2 - Specimen. Overprint: SPECIMEN and perforated: CANCELLED |
| Comments |
Bulgaria contracted the American Bank Note Company for this series following the disruption to European printing infrastructure after World War One — by the early 1920s, ABNC was handling currency work for several states that could no longer rely on their pre-war suppliers. The design commission went to Dimitar Gyudjenov and Nikola Kozhouharov, an unusual pairing of fine artists rather than commercial illustrators, reflecting a deliberate postwar effort to assert cultural legitimacy through the currency.
Bulgaria was operating under the severe financial constraints imposed by the Treaty of Neuilly, signed November 1919, which stripped territory and demanded heavy reparations. The 500 Leva denomination was substantial — printing at that level was as much a confidence measure as a practical one.