- Silver .900
250 Years Since the Birth of Paisii Chilendarski
1972 · 5 leva · Bulgarian National Bank
Specifications
- Metal
- Silver 900/1000
- Weight
- 20.5 g
- Fine silver content
- 18.45 g (0.5932 oz t)
- Diameter
- 36 mm
- Quality
- Proof
- Official mintage
- 200,000
- Year of issue
- 1972
- Series
- Individual issue
- Designer
- Lyubomir Prahov and Dimitar Bonovsky
- Minted by
- Sofia, Bulgaria
- Catalogue no.
- BC-1972-02
- Issue price
- 5.00 лв
- pre-1999 lev · BNB, 1972
- Market value (asking prices)
- €60.00
- median asking price of 3 listings, €56.99 – €68.90 · Balkan Auction, 19 Oct 2026
- Melt value
- €30.07
- Ag spot €50.70/oz · Oct 2026
Market prices – asking prices
Asking prices on Balkan Auction, 19 Oct 2026
- Ungraded coins
- €56.99 – €68.90
- median asking price €60.00 · 3 listings
- Graded (PCGS, NGC…)
- €100.00
- median asking price €100.00 · 1 listing
Sample listings
Asking prices of active listings (fixed price, starting price or current highest bid) in the public coin category of Balkan Auction. These are asking prices, not completed sales. Lots, sets, replicas, error varieties and precious-metal prices below the metal value are excluded. BulgarianCoins does not buy, sell or value coins.
Relative rarity
4/10 · Common
How we calculate it
The score starts from the mintage on a logarithmic scale (500 coins or fewer = 10, ten million = 1). Coins of the Principality and the Kingdom that circulated get extra points, because much of that silver and gold was melted down and many coins were lost in the wars and withdrawn in 1952. Modern commemorative coins lose a point, since almost all of them survive in collections. Finally we look at how often the coin is offered on Balkan Auction: frequent offers lower the score.
Bulgarian Coin Exchange · Beta
Own this coin? Sell it at auction or at a fixed price to other collectors on the Bulgarian Coin Exchange. We do not buy or sell coins ourselves.
Obverse
The obverse features the centrally placed coat of arms of the People’s Republic of Bulgaria, with the year of minting ‘1972’ in small letters below on the left, all encircled by the words ‘НАРОДНА РЕПУБЛИКА БЪЛГАРИЯ’ (People’s Republic of Bulgaria) and the value ‘5 ЛЕВА’ (5 levs).
Reverse
The reverse features an image of Paisii Chilendarski, holding a book entitled ‘ИСТОРИЯ СЛАВЯНО БОЛ’ (Slavonic-Bulgarian history), with the monogram of the design’s authors ‘ПБ’ under the book, all within the inscription ‘ПАИСИЙ ХИЛЕНДАРСКИ’ (Paisii Chilendarski) and the anniversary years ‘1722-1972’.
Edge & packaging
Blind-blocked five-pointed stars edge. Issued in a protective capsule with an information leaflet. The BNB advises keeping the capsule closed.
About this coin
250 Years Since the Birth of Paisii Chilendarski
A 5 leva silver coin issued by the Bulgarian National Bank in 1972. 200,000 pieces were minted in Sofia, Bulgaria, to a design by Lyubomir Prahov and Dimitar Bonovsky.
Sources: BNB coin page · BNB register and prices · market listing 1
