- Silver .500
Sofia - 100 Years the Capital of Bulgaria (BU)
1979 · 20 leva · Bulgarian National Bank
Specifications
- Metal
- Silver 500/1000
- Weight
- 21.8 g
- Fine silver content
- 10.90 g (0.3504 oz t)
- Diameter
- 37 mm
- Quality
- BU
- Official mintage
- 35,000
- Year of issue
- 1979
- Series
- Individual issue
- Designer
- Stefan Nenov and Georgi Chapkanov
- Minted by
- Sofia, Bulgaria
- Catalogue no.
- BC-1979-07
- Issue price
- 20.00 лв
- pre-1999 lev · BNB, 1979
- Market value (asking prices)
- —
- no verified data yet
- Melt value
- €17.77
- Ag spot €50.70/oz · Oct 2026
Relative rarity
5/10 · Scarce
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get extra points, because much of that silver and gold was melted down and many coins were lost in the wars and withdrawn in 1952.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
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Obverse
The obverse features the coat of arms of the People’s Republic of Bulgaria and unrolled ribbon below, encircled by the words ‘НАРОДНА РЕПУБЛИКА БЪЛГАРИЯ’ (People’s Republic of Bulgaria), the year of minting ‘1979’, and the value ‘20 ЛЕВА’ (20 levs), all within a dotted ring.
Reverse
The reverse depicts a female head crowned with three fortress towers (the personification of Ulpia Serdica on a Roman coin), surrounded by the words ‘СОФИЯ-СТО ГОДИНИ СТОЛИЦА НА БЪЛГАРИЯ’ (Sofia-100 Years the Capital of Bulgaria), the anniversary years ‘1879 – 1979’, and an outer dotted ring.
Edge & packaging
Embossed text ‘РАСТЕ, НО НЕ СТАРЕЕ’(Ever Growing, Never Old) edge. Issued in a protective capsule with an information leaflet. The BNB advises keeping the capsule closed.
About this coin
Sofia - 100 Years the Capital of Bulgaria (BU)
A 20 leva silver coin issued by the Bulgarian National Bank in 1979. 35,000 pieces were minted in Sofia, Bulgaria, to a design by Stefan Nenov and Georgi Chapkanov.
Sources: BNB coin page · BNB register and prices