5 Cents magnetic

Singapore switched its 5-cent piece to copper-nickel clad steel in 1980 as part of a broader effort to reduce production costs — the underlying steel core made these noticeably magnetic, which caused intermittent problems with vending machine acceptors calibrated for the earlier cupro-nickel pieces. The transition was quiet and administratively unglamorous, driven entirely by economics rather than any redesign mandate.

The KM#2a designation separates this magnetic variety from its non-magnetic predecessor, a distinction that matters more to collectors than it ever did to the Singaporean public.