Stamp Investment Tip: Bulgaria 1953 Medicinal Flowers Souvenir Sheet (Scott #843a)

In 1953, Bulgaria issued a souvenir sheet picturing Medicinal Flowers (Scott #843a). 50,000 were issued, and Scott '12 prices it unused at $55.00 .

Aside from being an investment in Bulgaria's economic development, the souvenir sheet also appeals to collectors interested in either Flower or Medical topicals. I think it likely that interest in Medical Topicals will trend upward as the number of medical professionals increases.

Since the fall of communism, Bulgaria, with a population of about 7.6 million, has experienced rapid economic growth, although its GDP per capita is only about $13,000, about 40% of the European Union average. It has an industrialized, open free-market economy, with a large, moderately advanced private sector and a number of strategic state-owned enterprises. The World Bank classifies it as an "upper-middle-income economy." Tourism is a steadily growing, and the country also benefits from rich natural resources, a highly educated population and an export-oriented agricultural sector. Annual GDP growth has averaged 2.5% over the last 5 years, reflecting a recent major contraction due to the European debt mess.