Bulgaria: New Series of Gold Proof Coins Honour the historic Virgin Mary ‘Golden Apple’ Icon

The National Bank of Bulgaria release new gold proof coins dedicated to an extraordinary Icon.

by Michael Alexander | Published on January 9, 2025

Dating back to the early 17th century, the icon is believed to possess the abilities to cure women of infertility and help with many childhood illnesses. The miraculous icon which is colloquially known as ‘the Golden Apple’ received its name of affection around 1756 when the story of a miraculous conception of a woman occurred and as told by the Hieromonk Ananius Klinis. As gratitude to the Icon of the Virgin Mary, she decorated it with an apple made of gold, hence the name - the Golden Apple. More than 256 years have passed since then and the story is still eagerly told to those faithful who hope and pray for the blessings of children. The Icon is housed in a small countryside Church known as the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary in the village of Gorni Voden, now a district of Asenovgrad in Southern Bulgaria. The Icon is infrequently put on display so, when there is an occurrence of this event, tens of thousands of Bulgarians and even further afield travels to see and pray to the Icon known as the Golden Apple.

The proof quality gold coins ranging from one quarter to one ounce in weight are produced by the Bulgarian Mint at their facilities in Sofia on behalf of the National Bank of Bulgaria. The obverse side of all coins in the series is designed by a collaborative team of artisans at the Bulgarian Mint and features a recreated image of the Virgin Mary – Golden Apple icon. Along the rim from the left side is the inscription СВ. БОГОРОДИЦА (Virgin Mary) and ЗЛАТНА ЯБЪЛКА (Golden Apple). The design on the reverse side is shared on all denominations and features the insignia of the Bulgarian National Bank, centred. Surrounding the crestabd along the upper rim is the text ЪЛГАРСКА НАРОДНА БАНКА (Bulgarian National Bank). To the left of the denomination is the year of authorisation, 2025 and to the right is the word ЛЕВА (Leva) after the numeral representing the coin’s value from 10 to 100.

DenominationMetalWeightDiameterQualityMintage Limit
10 Leva.999 Gold 7.78 g.22 mm.Proof  *tba
20 Leva.999 Gold15.5 g.24.5 mm.Proof
50 Leva.999 Gold23.3 g.26.5 mm.Proof
100 Leva.999 Gold 31.1 g.30 mm.Proof

Available from the 2nd January, each proof coin is encapsulated and accompanied with a certificate of authenticity. *The mintage numbers of each denomination/weight is unlimited and the final numbers will be published by the National Bank in December 2025. For additional information, please visit the National Bank’s informative commemorative coin section.

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Author: Michael Alexander

Michael Alexander image Michael’s background in both numismatics and banknotes spans more than three decades and whose activities have varied from being a dedicated world coin collector to coin & medal design, marketing, theme concept and production. His additional interests include banknote research and in 1997, he founded the London Banknote and Monetary Research Centre to further these interests and activities. The company continues to offer monthly currency bulletins to both online and printed publications which includes information about the latest banknote news and releases from Central Banks and Monetary Authorities around the world. Michael has been a contributor to COIN NEWS magazine based in the UK since 1998 where many of his in-depth interviews, articles and bulletins have been published.

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