site.btaCentral Bank Puts Krastyo Sarafov Collector Coin into Circulation

A copper collector coin marking the 150th anniversary of Krastyo Sarafov’s birth will be put into circulation by the Bulgarian National Bank (BNB), the bank said on its website Friday. The EUR 5 coin is part of the Bulgarian Artists series and will have a mintage of 6,000.

The collector coin is priced at EUR 36, or BGN 70.41, on the date of issue. It is the second euro-denominated collector coin issued by BNB since Bulgaria joined the euro area. The first, released in January, commemorated the 125th anniversary of electric trams in Bulgaria. According to the central bank’s annual coin programme, BNB will issue a total of five collector coins this year.

Under euro area rules, collector coins are legal tender only in the issuing country, whereas commemorative coins have that status in all euro area member states. This year, BNB will also issue a commemorative coin dedicated to the Bulgarian alphabet.

The collector coin commemorating the 150th anniversary of Krastyo Sarafov’s birth is struck in copper with a fineness of 999/1000. It weighs 16.4 g and has a diameter of 34.2 mm.

The obverse of the coin features BNB emblem at the centre, with the year 1879 on the ribbon, and below it the year of issue, 2026, and the face value, 5 EURO. Surrounding these are the words Bulgarian National Bank and a laurel wreath.

The reverse features a portrait of Krastyo Sarafov set against a background of a film strip and theatre masks. On the right, the words 150 Years appear on two lines, while the inscription around the edge reads Since the Birth of Krastyo Sarafov.

The coin was designed by Plamen Chernev and Preslav Chernev.

The coin will be sold by BNB at four cash desks at the central bank’s headquarters in Sofia, 1 Knyaz Alexander I Square, and at four cash desks at the BNB Cash Centre in Sofia, 10 Mihail Tenev Street.

Each customer may purchase only one coin from BNB cash desks, regardless of whether the purchase is made in their own name and at their own expense or on behalf of another person, BNB said. To purchase the copper coin on behalf of another person and at their expense, an explicit notarized power of attorney must be presented. A customer who buys a coin from BNB cash desks as an individual may not purchase another coin as a representative of a legal entity, and the same restriction applies vice versa. Coins will not be sold to persons under the age of 18.

By the end of the working day on March 23, 2026, BNB will make the new coin available to Investbank, First Investment Bank, Texim Bank, Tokuda Bank, Central Cooperative Bank and the Bulgarian Mint for sale through their offices and branches.

Krastyo Sarafov was a legend of the Bulgarian stage, bringing to life more than 200 characters over a career spanning more than half a century. He was among the first professionally trained actors in Bulgaria, and his mastery ranked him among Europe’s leading performers in the first half of the 20th century. A gifted artist and a perfectionist, he explored his roles in depth, and his acting reflected words he shared with colleagues: “The actor on the stage is like a soldier on the battlefield, he must always be ready for everything,” BNB said in the coin’s information leaflet.