The artists and engravers behind Bulgarian coins
From Formas and Scharff to Ivan Todorov, Elena Todorova and Plamen Chernev – the people who gave Bulgarian money its face
BulgarianCoins editorial team 3 min read
Every coin starts as a drawing. Behind it stands an artist or sculptor whose name is rarely remembered. In our catalogue we record the author of every coin when it is known. Here are the people behind Bulgarian coins.
The Principality and the Kingdom: foreign masters
Until 1952 the coins were struck abroad, so their authors were often foreigners too. See The foreign mints.
| Author | Coins | Years |
|---|---|---|
| Nikolai Formas | the first leva and the 5 leva 1884, the stotinki of 1906 | 1882–1906 |
| Anton Scharff | 5 leva 1892, the coins of 1891 and 1894, including the gold ones | 1891–1894 |
| Alfred Borrel | 2 stotinki 1901 | 1901 |
| Stefan Schwartz | 2 leva 1910 | 1910 |
| Rudolf Marschall | 20 leva 1912 and 100 leva 1912, the coins of 1912 and 1916 | 1912–1916 |
| Lajos Beran | 100 leva 1930, 20 and 50 leva of 1930, 1940 and 1943 | 1930–1943 |
| Ivan Lazarov | 5 and 10 leva of 1930, 1941 and 1943 | 1930–1943 |
| Percival Metcalfe | 50 and 100 leva of 1934 and 1937 | 1934–1937 |
Anton Scharff was a Viennese medallist, one of the best known in Europe in the 19th century. Rudolf Marschall also worked in Vienna and made the portrait of Ferdinand on the gold coins of 1912. Percival Metcalfe was an English sculptor, also known for the coins of Ireland. Ivan Lazarov was one of the founders of modern Bulgarian sculpture.
The People’s Republic: Bulgarian sculptors
After 1952 the coins were made in Sofia, and their authors were Bulgarian artists. Among the most prolific in our catalogue are:
- Stefan Nenov – over 30 coins from 1975 to 2003, including the 1975 Olympic coins and the coloured “Survakari”.
- Lyubomir Prahov – over 25 coins from 1971 to 1997, including “The Radetzky Steamship”.
- Georgi Chapkanov – over 25 coins from 1975 to 1993, including “Bear with Cubs”.
- Bogomil Nikolov – about 20 coins, many of them from “1300 Years of Bulgaria”.
- Petar Georgiev, Petar Braykov, Kancho Avramov, Aleksandar Poplilov – authors of important coins from the 1960s to the 1980s.
Contemporary authors
| Author | Coins in the catalogue | Years |
|---|---|---|
| Ivan Todorov | over 40 | 1989–2022 |
| Elena Todorova | over 35 | 1995–2022 |
| Petar Stoykov | over 30 | 1992–2009 |
| Plamen Chernev | over 25 | 2005–2026 |
| Vladimir Yosifov | about 25 | 1992–2007 |
| Todor Todorov | about 20 | 2007–2022 |
| Preslav Chernev | over 10 | 2017–2026 |
| Svetlin Balezdrov | about 10 | 2022–2026 |
Ivan Todorov and Elena Todorova are the most prolific creative duo in the history of Bulgarian coins. Together they are the authors of dozens of coins, among them Khan Krum. Plamen Chernev is the author of “Short Track”, “St George the Victorious” 2007 and many of the new coins. In 2024–2025 the “Golden Apple” coins were created by a team at the Mint.
Why the author matters
- Style. Collectors recognise an artist’s hand. Some collect the coins of a single author.
- Quality. Some authors are known for particularly fine detail.
- History. The author often explains the choice of subject, which makes the coin more interesting.
How to find the author
Each coin’s page in the catalogue has an “Author” field. If you know the author of a coin for which we have not listed one, write to us. See also The Mint: how a coin is made.
