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5000 Leva
| Issuer | Bulgarian National Bank |
|---|---|
| Year | 1942 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | Log in to see details |
| Currency | Log in to see details |
| Composition | Log in to see details |
| Size | 200 × 104 mm |
| 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 |
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| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Reverse description | Log in to see details |
| Reverse lettering | Петь Хиляди Лева Banque Nationale de Bulgarie За подправка виновнитѣ се наказватъ съгласно чл. 183 и 191 отѣ наказателния законъ (Translation: Five Thousand Leva Banque Nationale de Bulgarie For forgery the guilty are punished according Art. 183 and 191 of the criminal law) |
| Signature(s) | Log in to see details |
| Protection type | Log in to see details |
| Protection description | Log in to see details |
| Variants | P#62a - issued note P#62s - Specimen. Red overprint: SPECIMEN |
| Comments |
Bulgaria's wartime alliance with Germany made Leipzig an uncontroversial printing choice in 1942, but it also meant supply and delivery were hostage to wartime logistics. Giesecke & Devrient had been printing Bulgarian currency for decades by this point, and the 5000 Leva was among the highest-denomination notes the National Bank had issued to that date — a direct consequence of inflation accelerating under the pressures of occupation-era economics and requisitioning by German forces.
Vasil Zahariev was Bulgaria's most accomplished graphic artist of the period, and his involvement gave the series a coherence and quality unusual for wartime production. The security thread inclusion is notable given the circumstances — G&D maintained rigorous production standards even as the war closed in on Leipzig itself.