Catalog
See full images - free registration
Continue with Google - no registration!
or register with email
Why register? Just to keep bots out of our catalog. Your email stays private - we will never share it or send you anything uninvited. We guarantee you that!
5000 Leva
| Issuer | Bulgarska Narodna Banka (Bulgarian National Bank) |
|---|---|
| Year | 1919 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | 5000 Leva |
| Currency | Log in to see details |
| Composition | Log in to see details |
| Size | Log in to see details |
| Shape | Log in to see details |
| Printer | Log in to see details |
| Designer(s) | Log in to see details |
| Engraver(s) | Log in to see details |
| In circulation to | Log in to see details |
| Reference(s) | Log in to see details |
| Obverse description | Plain white note of treasury-bond (срочен касов бон) format, with text entirely in Cyrillic printed in black letterpress. The date 'София, 25 октомври 1919 год.' and the denomination 'Лева 5.000' appear in the upper portion, above the large central title 'СРОЧЕН КАСОВ БОН'. The body carries the redemption text of the Bulgarska Narodna Banka, with the amount in bold Cyrillic ('петь хиляди'), alongside manuscript signatures for the Контрольор, Управител, and Каснер, and a validity clause reading 'Тоя бонъ важи до тридесет първи декември 1919 година'; red cancellation overprints are visible across the face. |
|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | София, 25 октомври 1919 год. Лева 5.000 СРОЧЕН КАСОВ БОН Българската Народна Банка ще заплати на пръдявителя на тоя срочен касов бонъ ЛЕВА петь хиляди въ банкноти. Тоя бонъ важи до тридесет първи декември 1919 година Контрольор: Управитель: Каснер: |
| Reverse description | Log in to see details |
| Reverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Signature(s) | Log in to see details |
| Protection type | Log in to see details |
| Protection description | Log in to see details |
| Variants | Log in to see details |
| Comments |
Bulgaria's postwar monetary situation was dire enough that by 1919 the government was issuing notes of this denomination to cope with inflation driven partly by war reparations obligations under the Treaty of Neuilly, signed that same November. The 5000 Leva was an enormous sum for domestic circulation at the time — the Bulgarian lev had shed most of its prewar purchasing power during the First World War, and large-denomination paper was a practical necessity rather than a prestige issue.
Pick 26D is a signature variety within the broader 1919 5000 Leva series; the lettered suffixes distinguish different cashier and governor signing combinations rather than separate print runs. Collectors frequently conflate the varieties, making accurate attribution worth verifying before purchase.