Item number: A1879

Year: AD 1912

Material: Gold

Size: 32.2 x 32.2 mm

Provenance: Da Chen Stamps and Coins Collection 2015

This is a 100 leva gold coin minted in AD 1912 by the Kingdom of Bulgaria to commemorate its Independence Day.

The obverse side of the coin features the left-facing portrait of Tsar Ferdinand I, the first monarch of Bulgaria after its independence from the Ottoman Empire. Below the portrait is the name abbreviation “R. Marschall” for Rudolf Marschall, a sculptor from Austria. Inscriptions in Bulgarian on either side of the portrait read “ФЕРДИНАНДЪ I” and “ЦАРЬ НА БЪЛГАРИТѢ,” which translate to “Ferdinand I” and “Tsar of Bulgarians” respectively.

The reverse of the coin features the coat of arms of Bulgaria, which consists of a crowned shield bearing a lion motif. On either side of the shield are decorative elements of laurel and wheat. Below the shield is a miniaturised minting year, “1912.” The coin also displays the denomination “100 ЛЕВА” (100 leva) on the left and right sides of the shield. The upper edge of the coin reads “ЦАРСТВО БЪЛГАРИЯ” (Tsardom of Bulgaria), while the lower edge commemorates the date of Bulgaria’s independence from the Ottoman Empire, “22∙СЕПТ∙1908” (22nd September AD 1908, Julian calendar). The edge of the coin is inscribed with the national motto, “БОЖЕ ПАЗИ БЪЛГАРИЯ” (God protect Bulgaria).

In AD 1878, following the Tenth Russo-Turkish War, the defeated Ottoman Empire was compelled to recognise Bulgaria, which adhered to Eastern Orthodoxy, as a principality with substantial independence under Russian influence. Ferdinand I was the second ruler of the Principality of Bulgaria. On September 22, AD 1908, Ferdinand I travelled to Veliko Tarnovo, the former capital of the Medieval Second Bulgarian Empire. There, at the renowned Church of the Forty Martyrs, he formally declared the Principality of Bulgaria a kingdom and proclaimed himself Tsar.

During his reign, Ferdinand I led Bulgaria in two Balkan Wars and the First World War, seeking to restore the glory of the medieval “Great Bulgaria.” However, as a defeated nation in World War I, Ferdinand I was forced to abdicate in AD 1918 and was exiled to Austria. He eventually passed away in AD 1948 in Coburg, Germany.

物件編號: A1879

年代: 公元 1912 年

材質: 黃金

尺寸: 32.2 x 32.2 mm

來源: 大城郵幣社 2015

這是一枚公元1912年，東歐的保加利亞王國為獨立紀念日鑄造之面額100利瓦金幣。硬幣正面是脫離鄂圖曼帝國後，保加利亞王國首任沙皇：斐迪南一世的左側肖像。肖像右下方是魯道夫·馬紹爾，這位出身奧地利的雕塑家姓名縮寫「R. Marschall」。肖像兩側以保加利亞文鐫刻「ФЕРДИНАНДЪ I」、「ЦАРЬ НА БЪЛГАРИТѢ」，即「斐迪南一世」和「保加利亞沙皇」頭銜。

錢幣背面的中央是保加利亞的國徽，即一隻帶有獅子圖騰的帶冠盾牌，左右兩側各以月桂和麥穗作為裝飾，並且有一個迷你的發行年份「1912」。國徽左右兩側打印面額「100 ЛЕВА」(100利瓦)，上緣打印國名「ЦАРСТВО БЪЛГАРИЯ」(保加利亞沙皇國)，下緣是脫離鄂圖曼土耳其帝國的獨立日期「22∙СЕПТ∙1908」(儒略曆1908年9月22日)。錢幣側邊打印國家格言「БОЖЕ ПАЗИ БЪЛГАРИЯ」(上帝庇佑保加利亞)。

公元1878年，歷經第十次俄土戰爭後，戰敗的鄂圖曼帝國被迫承認信奉東正教的保加利亞成為受俄羅斯影響，擁有實質獨立地位的親王國。斐迪南一世即是保加利亞親王國的第二任統治者。公元1908年9月22日，斐迪南一世前往中世紀保加利亞第二帝國的舊都大特爾諾沃，於知名的聖四十人教堂宣告親王國成為王國，並且以沙皇頭銜自稱。

斐迪南一世任內，先後帶領保加利亞參與兩次巴爾幹戰爭和第一次世界大戰，謀求恢復中世紀「大保加利亞」榮光。然而作為第一次世界大戰的戰敗國，公元1918年，斐迪南一世被迫讓位和流放到奧地利。最終公元1948年病逝於德國科堡。