Nestinarstvo: the second coin in the Bulgarian Customs and Traditions series

The Bulgarian National Bank is releasing a new commemorative coin, “Nestinarstvo”, on sale from 17 May 2021.

Nestinarstvo, the fire-walking dance of the Strandzha villages on the feast of Sts Constantine and Helena, is on UNESCO’s list of intangible cultural heritage. The coin came out a few days before the feast on 21 May.

The coin has a face value of 10 levs and is struck in Ag 999/1000, weighing 23.33 g with a diameter of 38.61 mm. Quality: proof, mint state; mintage: 3,000. It was minted by the Bulgarian Mint to a design by Elena Todorova and Todor Todorov.

Reverse: images of three women Nestinari (one of them carrying an icon) dancing on smoldering embers; the inscription 'БЪЛГАРСКИ ТРАДИЦИИ И ОБИЧАИ' (Bulgarian customs and traditions) within a semicircle at the top, and 'НЕСТИНАРСТВО' (Nestinarstvo) at the bottom.

The issue price is 96 leva. The coins are sold at the BNB cash desks in Sofia and at branches of DSK Bank, First Investment Bank, Raiffeisenbank (Bulgaria) and Texim Bank. For the first days of the sale each customer may buy up to two coins from the BNB; the limit then falls away.

Full details are in the BulgarianCoins catalogue below; the official announcement is on the BNB website.