Ok, this is a stupid question but I can't find a straight answer. I have a Bulgarian 20 Leva bill, which apparently converts to ~$11 USD. But, the same notes are selling on ebay for $1. So what the heck is this thing worth? $11 or $1?
From reading Wikipedia, the Leva was revalued in 1999, so your 1991 note is no longer usable in Bulgaria. So I suspect the $1 price tag is where it sits in terms of numismatic value.
Since 1999, the Lev has been pegged to the German Mark (and then the Euro). At current exchange rates, 20 Lev is worth $11.23. However, as Dave mentioned, the currency was revalued in 1999. There was an exchange rate at the time of about 1000:1 (although that period has long expired). Essentially, your bill is worthless as currency - its only value is to collectors.
Yeah, but keep looking until you get a good answer: Front: Effigy of Duchess Autocrat Donator (Sebastokrator Ktitor) Desislava of the Boyana Church in Sofia. Fragment of a fresco with two rampant lions facing away from each other. Back: Boyana Church on the outskirts of Sofia. Small icons with a lion, bird and a mythical hybrid creature. Watermark: Rampant lion. Work by: Unknown.Main colour: Multicolour. Signatures: Unknown (Upravitel - President); Ivanov (Chief Cashier). Issuer: Bulgarian National Bank. Date of issue: 1 November 1991. Date of withdrawal: 31 July 1998. Printer: Giesecke & Devrient,Leipzig, Germany.
This brought to mind my looking through a dealer's junk box (5-$1) and finding several modern 100 yen pieces...exchange value $1...wow, $5 worth for $1, now all I have to do is go to Japan to spend them.
