Medieval Bulgarian coinage are the coins minted by the Bulgarian Emperors during the Middle Ages at the time of the Second Bulgarian Empire. There is no evidence that coins were minted during the First Bulgarian Empire, and minting ceased after the fall of the Second Empire with Ottoman domination in 1396 or 1422. They were gold, silver, billon and copper coins, all flat and hollow. The inscriptions were usually in Bulgarian language and rarely in Greek. Due to the limited space the inscriptions were abbreviated, often written with a few letters and special signs. Artistically, they continued the Byzantinenumismatic tradition but the designs were often more schematic. The main means of expression were lines and dots. The Bulgarian coins had images different from the Byzantine and Slav coinage, so they form a distinct group. The coins are an important source for the history of the Second Bulgarian Empire.
Tsar IvanAsen II is the first Bulgarian ruler from whose reign coins are preserved. It is known that his predecessors Kaloyan and Boril minted imitations of Byzantine coins. Although Kaloyan was given the right to mint coins by Pope Innocent III, there are no surviving coins of theirs, and historians assume that Ivan Asen II was the first ruler to actually mint coins.
Gold perpera - It is the only surviving gold coin, not only of a medieval Bulgarian monarch, but also of any Slavonic ruler of the period. One example was found in 1934 among other coins in the area of Prilep. It is now in the National Archaeological Museum of the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences. Its weight is 4.33 g, the diameter is 33 mm, and it is made of 16 carat gold. The shape is slightly hollow. On one side Ivan Asen II and Saint Demetrius of Thessaloniki are depicted upright. With one of his hands the Saint gives the Emperor a sword and with the other he is placing a crown on Ivan Asen's head. The inscription is in Bulgarian and abbreviated, and says: "Ivan Asen, Tsar" and "Saint Dimitar". On the other side of the coin is depicted Christ Pantocrator. The inscription is "Jesus Christ, Tsar of the Glory". Due to similarities with the coins of Theodore Komnenos Doukas, it is presumed that the coins might have been minted in the Thessalonica mint, which was at the time under Bulgarian rule.
The uniqueness of Ivan Asen's gold perpera and the peculiarity of its iconography have led a minority of researchers to doubt its authenticity. Its peculiarity is the double gesture of Saint Demetrius who simultaneously crowns the Emperor and gives him a sword, an image found in no Byzantine or other Slavonic coins.
Billon coins - There are around one hundred preserved coins of that type. On one side is the image of the Emperor and Saint Demetrius upright and holding a scepter with a star. On the other side is depicted Christ Pantocrator. These coins were probably minted in the Thessalonica mint. Their weight is between 3.00 and 3.08 grams.
Billon coins - On one side is depicted the Emperor in 3/4 length, holding a cross in his left and a scepter in his right hand. On the other side is Saint Nicholas in half-length. The inscription "Saint Nicholas" is in Greek. The saint is protector of the sailors and was a patron of the Emperor probably because the personal lands of Mitso Asen included the port of Nesebar and its environs.
Constantine Tikh Asen
The coinage of that ruler is distinguished by its variety, the use of new iconographic types and the precise engraving.
Billon coins: Obverse - Christ on a throne; reverse - George I Terter and his son Theodore Svetoslav as co-emperors. They are upright in full length holding together a flag or a cross.
Theodore Svetoslav
Theodore Svetoslav was the first Bulgarian ruler who minted silver coins called aspra.
Silver coins: Frontage - Christ Pantocrator sitting on a throne; reverse - the Emperor upright holding a cross, and inscription in Bulgarian "Svetoslav, Tsar of the Bulgarians". Its weight is 1,53 G. There three emissions of that type which differ in the quality of the engraving.
Billon coins: Frontage - large Latin Cross; reverse - the Emperor on a horse. The depiction resembles that of Constantine Tikh but is without the waving mantle. There are two emissions made by different engravers. The inscriptions are in Bulgarian and abbreviated and say: "Theodore" and "Svetoslav Theodore".
Silver coins: Obverse - Christ Pantocrator sitting on a throne with high back; reverse - the Emperor on horseback, with inscription "Michael Tsar". Many of the coins of Michael Shishman were later re-minted as coins of Ivan Alexander.
Ivan Alexander
Silver coins:
Copper coins:
Some of the copper coins of Ivan Alexander are hollow and others are flat.
