Virgin Mary – Golden Apple: four BNB gold coins for 2024

The Bulgarian National Bank is releasing a new commemorative coin, “Virgin Mary – Golden Apple”, on sale from 2 January 2024.

For the first time the BNB released four gold coins on one theme at once, in 10, 20, 50 and 100 leva, from a quarter to one troy ounce. The bank said the coins have no fixed mintage, while the specifications give a quantity for each denomination.

The coins are struck in Au 999/1000 gold, proof quality: 10 leva – 7.78 g, 22 mm, 1450 pieces; 20 leva – 15.55 g, 24.5 mm, 1050 pieces; 50 leva – 23.33 g, 26.5 mm, 800 pieces; 100 leva – 31.10 g, 30 mm, 800 pieces.

Issue prices: 1,438 leva for the 10-leva coin, 2,611 leva for the 20-leva coin, 3,823 leva for the 50-leva coin, 5,057 leva for the 100-leva coin.

Reverse: an image of the Virgin Mary – Golden Apple icon and on its both sides the inscriptions ‘СВ. БОГОРОДИЦА’ (Virgin Mary) and ‘ЗЛАТНА ЯБЪЛКА’ (Golden Apple).

The coins are sold at the BNB cash desks in Sofia. For the first days of the sale each customer may buy up to two coins of each kind from the BNB; the limit then falls away. Buying for someone else requires a notarised power of attorney, and coins are not sold to anyone under 18.

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