Ireland switched from bronze to copper-plated steel for its penny in 1988 as a cost-cutting measure — the rising price of copper had made the intrinsic metal value of the old bronze flans uncomfortably close to face value. The magnetic version runs alongside earlier bronze strikes of the same KM#20 type, making date-range attribution straightforward only with a magnet in hand.
Ireland switched from bronze to copper-plated steel for its penny in 1988 as a cost-cutting measure — the rising price of copper had made the intrinsic metal value of the old bronze flans uncomfortably close to face value. The magnetic version runs alongside earlier bronze strikes of the same KM#20 type, making date-range attribution straightforward only with a magnet in hand.