#86 Bulgaria 2

Identity

Where & when

Country Bulgaria

Currency BGN

Denomination 2

Series name 1999 Series

Series year 2005

Issue year 2005

Era 1990_present

Legal status in_circulation

Subjects & design

What's on the note

Front portrait Paisius of Hilendar

Reverse subject Bulgarian heraldic lion and manuscript pages from Istoriya Slavyanobolgarskaya

Watermark Portrait of Paisius of Hilendar in clear field

Color palette #9b8aa0,#d4c8d6,#5c4d5e

Themes writer,religion,indigenous_culture

Language / script Cyrillic

Front: Paisius of Hilendar (1722–1773), Bulgarian monk and National Revival figure, author of 'Istoriya Slavyanobolgarskaya' (Slavonic-Bulgarian History), the foundational work of Bulgarian national consciousness written in 1762. The note shows his portrait alongside an image of the Hilendar Monastery on Mount Athos where he lived and worked, and reproductions of his manuscript. The dates 1722-1773 and his name in Cyrillic 'Паисий Хилендарски' appear beside the portrait.

Back: The Bulgarian heraldic lion, a crowned lion rampant which has been the symbol of Bulgarian statehood since the Second Bulgarian Empire. The background features pages from Paisius's manuscript 'Istoriya Slavyanobolgarskaya', showing his original handwriting. This work urged Bulgarians to know their history and language during Ottoman rule, becoming a catalyst for the Bulgarian National Revival.

Production

How it was made

Issuer Bulgarian National Bank

Issuer (native) Българска Народна Банка

Printer Bulgarian National Bank Printing Works

Engraver —

Material paper

Dimensions (mm) 121x64

Signatures: Управител: Ivan Iskrov; Главен Касиер: Tsvetan Gunev

Security features: thread,microprint,intaglio,see_through_register,hologram

Geography

Bulgaria in Europe

Bulgaria in Europe. Other countries on the same continent shown in muted grey.

The story

Background & history

This 2 leva note is part of the 1999 series of Bulgarian banknotes introduced after the currency board arrangement was established in 1997, pegging the lev to the Deutsche Mark (later the euro). Paisius of Hilendar was chosen for the 2 leva denomination to honour his role as the spiritual father of Bulgarian nationalism. His manuscript was copied and distributed throughout Bulgarian lands, awakening national consciousness that eventually led to Bulgarian independence in 1878.

Catalogue

Collector references

Pick # P-117b

Krause ID —

Rarity tier common

Series range 1999–present

Provenance

How it came to me

Acquired date —

Acquired from —

Acquired price —

Currency —

Condition

Grade VF

Serial number БГ 4088368

Serial prefix БГ

Light vertical fold at center, minor handling wear, slight soiling, overall well-preserved with crisp details

Valuation

What it's worth now

$2–$5

Type default range $2–$5

Valuation history (1)

date	low	high	currency	source	note
2026-05-08 16:23:26	2.0	5.0	USD	ai	from claude-opus-4-5

Technical

History & extractions

AI extractions (2)

anthropic · claude-opus-4-5 2026-05-08 16:23:26

status: ok · step 2 · $0.1838 · 6333↓ + 1184↑ tokens

anthropic · claude-sonnet-4-5 2026-05-08 16:23:26

status: error · step 1

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