2 Cents - Elizabeth II 2nd portrait

The KM#2a designation marks the transition from the original bronze composition to bronze plated steel — a cost-driven substitution common across Pacific island nations in the early 1980s as copper prices climbed and small-denomination production became economically untenable. The Solomon Islands had only gained independence in 1978, and the Central Bank was still rationalizing its coinage infrastructure during this period.

The steel core makes these distinguishable from earlier strikes with a magnet.