Bulgaria 1998 20000 leva
This specimen was lot 70418 in Stack's Bowers Collector's Choice sale (Costa Mesa, CA, June 2021), where it sold for $216. The catalog description[1] noted, "BULGARIA. 20000 Leva, 1998. Sofia Mint. NGC PROOF-69 Ultra Cameo. Displaying a stylized feline and the Tetraevangelia of Tzar Ivan Alexander, this minor issue verges upon perfection and offers an incredible cameo nature." Bulgaria was forned out of the disintegrating remnants of the Ottoman empire. Originally a monarchy, the king was ousted by the communists after World War Two, The communists were ousted in turn with the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1989-90. In 1999, the coinage was reformed. The SCWC doesn't state but we believe 1000 old leva = one new leva. This NCLT was the last gold issue under the old system and reflects the resurgence of interest in Bulgaria's pre-Turkish history.
Recorded mintage: 20,000.
Specification: 1.55 g, 0.999 fine gold, 0.050 oz, 13.9 mm diameter.
Catalog reference: Fr-18; KM-236.
- Friedberg, Arthur L. and Ira S. Friedberg, Gold Coins of the World, From Ancient Times to the Present, 9th ed., Clifton, NJ: Coin and Currency Institute, 2017.
- 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 June 2021 Collector's Choice sale: World and Ancient Coins, Costa Mesa, CA: Stack's Bowers LLC, 2021.
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