NGC Registry Featured Set: Bulgarian Lev

Bulgaria's lev, which was introduced in the late 19th century, will cease to exist at the end of this month as that southeast European nation adopts the euro. Let's take a walk through the early history of lev coinage by exploring a No. 1-ranked set in the NGC Registry, Viktor Rogachev's Principality of Bulgaria 1879-1908

The set includes an 1882 Lev, the first coin to bear the name of the denomination. Lev means lion, and it became a national symbol for the new Principality of Bulgaria as it emerged from Ottoman influence in 1878. Bulgaria remained nominally part of the Ottoman Empire until it found the opportunity to formally declare its independence in 1908.

One of the top coins in the set is the 1894KB Gold 20 Leva, showing Ferdinand I on the obverse. The reverse includes the crowned shield emblazoned with a lion from Bulgaria's coat of arms. Ferdinand served as prince for most of the Principality of Bulgaria's existence and upgraded his title to tsar upon independence in 1908.

Viktor Rogachev's set is nearly complete with 26 coins, nearly all of them in Mint State. Other highlights include an 1894KB Gold 100 Leva and an 1881HEATON 10 Stotinki that is a "Top Pop."

This set has won NGC Registry Awards for Best Classic Set and Best in Category. Thank you, Viktor Rogachev, for sharing this fascinating set with the other members of the NGC Registry.

The NGC Registry is a free online platform where collectors register and display their certified coins and can compete against other collectors around the world for recognition and prizes. The NGC Registry continues to be the world’s most comprehensive online coin collecting platform thanks to you, our treasured collectors. This popular resource now boasts more than 41,000 users, 410,000 registered sets and 2 million registered coins.

Would you like your set to be featured in a future article? 100% completion in a set is not always feasible. Perhaps we will choose someone whose set has a personal story behind it or some interesting historical facts. We are looking for those sets where someone has taken the time to make the set unique and a reflection of his/her personal collecting style. It may be your set! Stay tuned.