Description: This deep orange-red definitive stamp features a stylized rampant lion, a traditional Bulgarian symbol, adapted for the new socialist era. The lion stands centrally without a shield or royal crown, surmounted instead by a five-pointed communist star. The figure is framed by sheaves of wheat on either side, symbolizing agriculture, and stands atop a partial gear wheel, representing industry. The upper corners bear the inscription "9 IX 1944" (September 9, 1944), commemorating the date of the socialist uprising. The Cyrillic text "НАРОДНА РЕПУБЛИКА БЪЛГАРИЯ" (People's Republic of Bulgaria) encircles the design, with the denomination "50 st." (stotinki) prominently displayed at the bottom.
Circa: 1948 (This stamp is part of the "New Coat of Arms" definitive series issued between 1948 and 1951.)
Condition: Unused - Hinged
Notes:
Political Symbolism: This design documents a major shift in Bulgarian heraldry. The "royal" lion was stripped of its crown, and the "bourgeois" shield was removed, replaced by the "ideologically correct" star, wheat, and gear to align with Soviet-style emblems.
The Date: The date inscribed, September 9, 1944, refers to the coup d'état when the Fatherland Front, backed by the advancing Soviet Red Army, overthrew the government, ending Bulgaria's alliance with the Axis powers and establishing a communist regime.