Bulgaria 1964 5 leva
This specimen was lot 44126 in Stack's Bowers ANA sale (Costa Mesa, CA, August 2021), where it sold for $216. The catalog description[1] noted, "BULGARIA. 5 Leva, 1964. Sofia Mint. NGC PROOF-67 Cameo. Anniversary of the People's Republic, with bust of Georgi Dimitrov left. A flashy and pleasing Proof with frosty raised devices." Bulgaria was on the losing side of World War Two and was forcibly converted to Communism by the Red Army. Georgi Dimitrov (1882-1949), the first communist leader, had not set foot in Bulgaria since 1928. He lived in exile in Germany and later Russia during the thirties, where he served as one of Stalin's stooges, luring international communists back to Moscow so that they could become victims of Stalin's show trials. No coinage was issued for the country until the early 1960's. This design was also used for gold ten leva and twenty leva.
Recorded mintage: 10,000 proofs.
Specification: 16.67 g, 0.900 fine silver.
Catalog reference: KM-70.
- Michael, Thomas, and Tracy L. Schmidt, Standard Catalog of World Coins, 1901-2000, 47th ed., Iola, WI: Krause Publications, 2019.
- [1]Orsini, Matt, Kyle Ponterio and Jeremy Bostwick, The August 2021 ANA sale: World and Ancient Coins, Costa Mesa, CA: Stack's Bowers LLC, 2021.
Link to:
- 1963 2 leva, 1100th anniversary of Slavic alphabet
- 1963 5 leva, 1100th anniversary of Slavic alphabet
- 1963 10 leva, 1100th anniversary of Slavic alphabet
- 1963 20 leva, 1100th anniversary of Slavic alphabet
- 1964 10 leva, Georgi Dmitrov
- 1964 20 leva, Georgi Dmitrov
- 1970 5 leva, 120th Anniversary of the Birth of Ivan Vazov
- Coins and currency dated 1964