Bulgaria 1999 10 leva KM-245
This specimen was lot 1657 in Jean Elsen sale 164 (Brussels, March 2026), where it sold for €130 (about US$181 including buyer's fees). The catalog description[1] noted,
"BULGARIE, République (1946-), AR 10 leva, 1999. Phoque moine méditerranéen. Flan poli. (republic of Bulgaria, since 1946, silver ten leva of 1999, on the Mediterranean monk seal. Proof.)"
In 1999, the coinage was reformed. This NCLT was one of several issued by the post-communist regime in 1999. Wikipedia comments, "The Mediterranean monk seal (Monachus monachus) is a monk seal belonging to the family Phocidae. As of 2015, it is estimated that fewer than 700 individuals survive in three or four isolated subpopulations in the Mediterranean." It formerly lived in the Black Sea but has not been seen there in many decades. Bulgaria adopted the euro in 2026 and the leva is now obsolete (at the time of transition, €1 = 1.95583 leva).
Recorded mintage: 15,000 proofs.
Specification: 23.33 g, 0.925 fine silver, 38.6 mm diameter, plain edge.
Catalog reference: KM 245.
- Michael, Thomas, and Tracy L. Schmidt, Standard Catalog of World Coins, 1901-2000, 47th ed., Iola, WI: Krause Publications, 2019.
- [1]Elsen, Philippe, et al., Vente Publique 164: Monnaies du duché de Brabant et du royaume de Belgique, Brussels: Jean Elsen et ses Fils S.A., 2026.
Link to:
- 1998 5000 leva, the Euro
- 1998 10,000 leva, 120th Anniversary of Liberation
- 1998 20,000 leva, Tsar Ivan Alexander
- 1999 10 stotinki
- 1999 20 stotinki
- 1999 50 stotinki
- 1999 20 leva, Madonna and Child
- 2000 10 leva, the new Millennium
- 2000 10 leva, Weightlifting
- 2000 10 leva, Church of the Pantokrator
- 2000 10 leva, association with the European Union
- Coins and currency dated 1999