The Cayman Islands Monetary Authority has issued collector-grade bi-metallic pieces in limited runs since the early 2000s, and this series sits among the more technically demanding to produce — bonding a fine gold outer ring to a fine silver core requires precise tolerances that most sovereign mints subcontract to specialist fabricators. Both metals at .999 fineness means no alloy hardening, which leaves the surfaces vulnerable; contact marks on raw examples are the rule, not the exception.
The Cayman Islands Monetary Authority has issued collector-grade bi-metallic pieces in limited runs since the early 2000s, and this series sits among the more technically demanding to produce — bonding a fine gold outer ring to a fine silver core requires precise tolerances that most sovereign mints subcontract to specialist fabricators. Both metals at .999 fineness means no alloy hardening, which leaves the surfaces vulnerable; contact marks on raw examples are the rule, not the exception.