How to buy new commemorative coins from the BNB, step by step

Every new silver or gold coin from the Bulgarian National Bank draws queues from early morning. Mintages are small – often 3,000–5,000 pieces – and the most sought-after coins sell out in the first few days. If you want to buy a coin at the issue price, you need to know when, where and on what terms the sale takes place. This guide explains the process step by step.

Step 1: Follow the coin programme

Every year the BNB adopts a programme of collector coins for the following year – with the themes, metals, face values and approximate months of release. We publish it in the news and in the Upcoming coins section, where you can see all announced coins before they come out.

The exact release date, price and mintage are announced by the BNB in a press release a few days before the sale. Recently released coins can be found on the Latest coins page.

Step 2: Find out the price and mintage

In the press release the BNB announces the price at release and the mintage. For example, the silver coin “Preobrazhenski Monastery” from the series “Bulgarian Churches and Monasteries” (10 euro, 2026) was released on 3 August 2026 at a price of 132 euro, with a mintage of 5,000.

Keep in mind:

• the price at release is fixed, but afterwards the BNB periodically updates the counter selling prices of coins still in stock – usually according to the price of gold and silver;
• coins of investment gold, marked with an asterisk in the BNB’s lists, are sold without VAT;
• on the first working day of every month the BNB publishes the stock at its counters – so you can check whether an older coin is still on sale.

Step 3: Where the coins are sold

The BNB’s counters in Sofia

The BNB sells collector coins at its counters in Sofia:

• in the BNB’s main building – 1 Knyaz Alexander I Square;
• at the BNB Cash Centre – 10 Mihail Tenev Street, Poligona district.

The counters are open every working day from 8:30 to 12:30 and from 13:00 to 15:45. When a new coin is released, it is usually sold at four counters in each of the two buildings.

Distributing banks and the Mint

By the end of the first day of sale, the BNB also makes part of the mintage available to distributing banks, which sell the coin in their offices and branches across the country. For the “Preobrazhenski Monastery” coin these were Investbank, First Investment Bank, Texim Bank, Tokuda Bank, Municipal Bank and Central Cooperative Bank, as well as the Bulgarian Mint (Monetni Dvor EAD). The list of specific offices is published with the BNB’s press release for each coin.

If you do not live in Sofia, the distributing banks are often the easiest way to buy a coin at a price close to the issue price. The price at the banks may differ slightly from that at the BNB’s counters – check in advance.

Step 4: The rules when buying at the counter

For popular coins the BNB introduces restrictions so that more people can buy. For the latest silver coins the rules were:

• 1 coin per customer – whether you are buying for yourself or on behalf of another person;
• buying on behalf of another person requires an explicit notarised power of attorney;
• if you have bought a coin as an individual, you cannot buy another one as a company representative – and vice versa;
• coins are not sold to persons under 18.

The terms may differ for different coins, so always read the press release for the specific issue. Bring an identity document.

Step 5: Check the coin before you leave

This is the step many people skip. The BNB accepts complaints at the counter right at the time of sale – later is too late. So, while still at the counter:

1. Inspect the capsule – it should not be cracked, scratched or opened.
2. Look at the coin through the capsule in good light: look for spots, scratches, fingerprints or knocks on the edge.
3. Check that there is a certificate and that its number and details match the coin.
4. Check the packaging – the box and certificate matter for the value at a future sale.

The BNB explicitly recommends storing the coins in conditions suitable for the metals and without opening the protective capsule. An opened capsule and fingerprints on a proof coin reduce its value.

Step 6: If the coin sells out

If you do not manage to buy a coin in the first few days:

• check the stock at the counters at the beginning of the next month – sometimes coins stay on sale longer than expected;
• go round the distributing banks – their stocks run out at different times;
• on the secondary market, prices of sold-out coins are usually above the issue price. Check them in the catalogue and in market prices before you pay.

Useful tips from collectors

• Go early on the first day of sale – for the most sought-after coins the queue starts before the counters open.
• Decide in advance which coin you want and how much you are willing to pay on the secondary market if you do not succeed.
• Keep the receipt, the box and the certificate – they prove the coin’s provenance.
• Do not buy “from the queue” – coins from strangers at an inflated price – without checking the capsule and certificate.

In short

New BNB coins are announced in the annual coin programme, and the exact date, price and mintage in a press release. They are sold at the BNB’s counters in Sofia (1 Knyaz Alexander I Square and 10 Mihail Tenev Street) and through distributing banks across the country, usually 1 coin per person. Check the coin at the counter, because complaints are accepted only there, and do not open the capsule. And so as not to miss the next coin, follow the Upcoming coins section.