Nostalgia for Bulgarian coins and banknotes, which we will soon no longer see in our wallets, has led Bulgarians to encapsulate leva for eternity in a frame and album. And while we are rushing to exchange our stotinki, ads with uncirculated coins in luxury boxes for sale have also appeared on social media, writes Nova TV.
"I have been collecting two brand new banknotes for the front and back, as well as stotinki, for a whole year and I am finally ready. "I used to buy a bun in front of school with the 1 lev banknote, I used to go to the cinema with the 2 lev banknote," says the famous vlogger Slavi The Clashers.
User Alex Georgiev has collected a larger collection of Bulgarian banknotes as a memento of his 10-year-old daughter.
The popular TikTok fan of Bulgarian coins and banknotes, Hristo Hristov, tells us that his profile frequently receives questions related to the value of the leva.
"People are starting to wonder if the 50 leva they have in their pocket are worth more than the face value written on them. The 1999 banknotes are the most expensive of the current Bulgarian banknotes. They are very rare, no longer in circulation. I have a set in which I collected uncirculated banknotes from 1999, series AA, and they all end in 42. They are worth more than their face values for sure," says enthusiast Hristo Hristov.
For him, collecting banknotes is more about preserving memories than investing. "A person who has decided to invest would do so in investment silver, gold, so for banknotes - no, more from a sentimental point of view", adds Hristo.
According to him, Bulgarian banknotes would be of interest to international collectors after they go out of circulation. "However, let's not forget that in a number of currency rankings, the Bulgarian lev has always been placed in the top 5 of the most beautiful, and also for the most significant personalities depicted on Bulgarian banknotes. So it will definitely be of interest", adds the enthusiast.
"There are two coins in the history of Bulgaria that always occupy the top two positions with the highest value. I do not have their originals, but as an enthusiast I have replicas - 2 leva from 1916, the original costs 70-80 thousand leva, and the most expensive - 100 leva from 1894 can cost 120-130 thousand leva", says Hristov.