He was born on February 26, 1861 in Vienna, under the name of Mária Ferdinánd Miksa Károly Lipót. He came from the House of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha, his father was Prince August of Saxe-Coburg-Koháry, and his mother was Princess Clémentine d'Orléans. In his youth, he prepared for a military career and served in the Austro-Hungarian army. In 1881, he traveled to Brazil with his brother, August, where natural science research was carried out. He was fond of ornithology, and his scientific works were also published on the subject. In 1887 III. He represented his family in Moscow at the coronation of Tsar Alexander of Russia. In the same year, after the resignation of the Bulgarian prince Alexander, the Trnovo national assembly elected Ferdinand as prince. On August 14, he swore to the constitution in Trnovo. During the reign of Prince Ferdinand, a new era of Bulgaria began. He consolidated his power in a short time, and the country began to develop peacefully. Ferdinand married twice. His first wife was Princess Mária Lujza of Parma, with whom he had four children, a son named Boris, later III. He became the Bulgarian Tsar under the name Boris. After the early death of Mária Lujza, Ferdinand married the German princess Eleonora. In 1896, the Ottoman Sultan Abdul Hamid I recognized Ferdinand as a prince and entrusted him with the governance of Eastern Rumelia. After that, Ferdinand toured the European courts, where he received a friendly welcome everywhere. The first During World War II, Ferdinand was on the side of the Central Powers with Bulgaria. After losing the war, he was forced to resign on October 3, 1918. He went into exile and died in Coburg, Germany on September 10, 1948. I. Ferdinand was one of the most decisive rulers in the history of Bulgaria. During his reign, the country achieved significant economic and cultural development. At the same time, he also received criticism for his role in the Balkan wars and the First World War. Ferdinand was nicknamed "the fox of the Balkans". He was an expert ornithologist and wrote several scientific works on ornithology. He was a great supporter of the arts and contributed significantly to the revival of Bulgarian culture.

During the minting of the Bulgarian prince Ferdinand I between 1887 and 1908, he issued various coins. These coins have different denominations and designs and usually feature the symbols and emblems of the Bulgarian monarchy. The coins spanned the period from the accession to the throne in 1887 to 1908 and expressed the economic and political situation of the Bulgarian monarchy in that era.I. Between 1908 and 1918, the Bulgarian Tsar Ferdinand minted coins that reflected the era and reign of the Bulgarian kingdom. These coins usually featured the portrait of the Tsar or the coat of arms of the Bulgarian state. The 1915 coins are particularly memorable as they bear both the image of the king and the Patriarch of Constantinople. By the end of the 1918s, the Bulgarian tsar left his throne, and thus coinage stopped.