10 Santeem Magnetic

The magnetic variety distinguished here from KM#45.1 reflects Ethiopia's switch to brass-plated steel blanks during the mid-2000s, a cost-driven procurement change common across African minting contracts of that period as raw copper and zinc prices spiked sharply on global commodity markets. The National Bank sourced planchets through external suppliers, and the transition was not instantaneous — both magnetic and non-magnetic versions circulated concurrently for years.

The Schön#52a attribution separates this issue cleanly from its non-magnetic predecessor in German-language cataloging, though many generalist collections lump them together unchecked.