The Bahamas transitioned from bronze to copper-plated zinc for its cent coinage in the early 2000s, a cost-driven shift common across Caribbean issuers as copper prices climbed sharply following the post-2003 commodities boom. The non-magnetic designation distinguishes this type from a subsequent zinc-core variant with altered alloy composition — a distinction that matters more to variety collectors than it ever did to anyone spending them.
The Bahamas transitioned from bronze to copper-plated zinc for its cent coinage in the early 2000s, a cost-driven shift common across Caribbean issuers as copper prices climbed sharply following the post-2003 commodities boom. The non-magnetic designation distinguishes this type from a subsequent zinc-core variant with altered alloy composition — a distinction that matters more to variety collectors than it ever did to anyone spending them.