Famous Bulgarians on coins: from Khan Tervel to Ivan Vazov
Rulers, saints, awakeners, revolutionaries and artists – which figures have been honoured with coins and what they cost today
BulgarianCoins editorial team 3 min read
Coins are small monuments. Every coin with a portrait says: “This person matters to us.” Here are the Bulgarians who have been honoured with coins and what that means for collectors.
The medieval rulers
The series “Medieval Bulgarian Rulers” is one of the BNB’s most successful modern series. The coins are 10 leva in silver 925, with small mintages.
| Coin | Mintage | Median listing |
|---|---|---|
| Khan Krum 2011 | 5,000 | ≈ €350 |
| Tsar Samuil 2013 | 4,000 | – |
| Tsar Simeon the Great 2014 | 3,000 | ≈ €1,400 |
| Khan Tervel 2017 | 3,000 | ≈ €625 |
| Tsar Kaloyan 2022 | 5,000 | ≈ €500 |
Tsar Simeon the Great is the star of the series – an issue price of 63 leva, and about €1,400 in listings today. We tell the story of this coin in The story of a coin.
The saints
St Ivan of Rila, St Kliment Ohridski, St Naum, St Mina and other saints have been honoured with coins. As early as 1968 a coin was issued for the 1050th anniversary of the death of Kliment Ohridski. See Religious themes on coins.
The National Revival and the revolutionaries
Already under the People’s Republic, the awakeners and revolutionaries were among the first figures on commemorative coins:
- Paisiy Hilendarski – 250 years since his birth, 1972.
- Georgi S. Rakovski – 150 years, 1971, and 200 years, 2021.
- Vasil Levski – 100 years since his hanging, 1973, and 150 years since his birth, 1987.
- Hristo Botev – 100 years since his death, 1976, and 175 years since his birth, 2023.
- Gotse Delchev – 150 years since his birth, 2022.
- Zahari Stoyanov – 175 years since his birth, 2025, with a median listing of about €730.
The new series “Bulgarian National Revival” (since 2021) brings these figures together in one series.
The writers and artists
- Ivan Vazov – 120 years since his birth, 1970, and 175 years, 2025.
- Peyo Yavorov – 100 years since his birth, 1978.
- Aleko Konstantinov – 1985.
- Dobri Chintulov – 1972.
The series “Bulgarian Creators” – copper 2-leva coins with small mintages – honours Zahariy Zograf, Dimcho Debelyanov and Elin Pelin. The mintages are only 2,000–6,000 pieces, and today the coins are offered for over €300.
What the prices show
- A small mintage is decisive. Coins with a mintage of 3,000 rise the most.
- Popularity helps. Tsar Simeon, Khan Tervel and Zahari Stoyanov are in strong demand.
- The old coins are cheap. The coins of the 1970s have large mintages (200,000–300,000) and are offered for €50–60.
How to collect
Choose a theme – rulers, awakeners or artists – and collect all the coins for it. See Thematic collecting and Calendar of anniversaries – there you will see which figures may be honoured in the coming years.
Market prices are medians of current listings on Balkan Auction as of 19.10.2026. Up-to-date figures are on each coin’s page.
