1 Pound magnetic

Egypt's shift to a bimetallic pound came as part of a broader currency modernization driven partly by counterfeiting pressure on the earlier brass-core issues. The magnetic steel substrate — distinguishing this KM#940a from its non-magnetic predecessor — was adopted to allow automated vending and transit validation systems to reject forgeries that had become a genuine circulation problem in Egyptian markets.

The 2016 Egyptian pound crisis, during which the currency lost roughly half its value following IMF-mandated flotation, pushed coin use sharply upward as small-denomination banknotes became an increasing nuisance. These pounds circulated hard through that period.