Bulgaria 1996 1000 leva
This specimen was lot 73269 in Stack's Bowers Collector's Choice sale (Costa Mesa, CA, February 2022), where it sold for $144. The catalog description[1] noted, "BULGARIA. 1000 Leva, 1996. Sofia Mint. PCGS PROOF-67 Deep Cameo. Commemorating the ship Kaliakra. This handsome modern issue gives an excellent cameo appearance and is a charming piece for any collector of Bulgarian types." This NCLT was struck after the fall of communism but before the currency was reformed (1000 old leva = 1 new lev). Other thousand leva issued during 1996 included KM 221 (Olympic speed skating), KM 222 (church) and KM 232 (UNICEF).
Wikipedia comments, "The Sail Training Vessel Kaliakra (Known also as STV Kaliakra, Bulgarian: Калиакра) is a barquentine, built in 1984 at the Gdańsk Shipyard, after the plans of the Polish technical designer Zygmunt Choreń. She is a property of Bulgarian Maritime Training Centre."
Recorded mintage: 23,052 proofs.
Specification: 23.33 g, 0.925 fine silver.
Catalog reference: KM-220.
- [1]Orsini, Matt, Kyle Ponterio and Jeremy Bostwick, The February 2022 World Collectors Choice Online Auction - Ancients & World Coins, Featuring Selections from the Kings Norton Mint Collection, Costa Mesa, CA: Stack's Bowers LLC, 2022.
- Michael, Thomas, and Tracy L. Schmidt, Standard Catalog of World Coins, 1901-2000, 47th ed., Iola, WI: Krause Publications, 2019.
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