Colombia's 50-peso coin underwent a quiet but telling revision during this run: an earlier magnetic version had been produced in nickel-clad steel, and persistent counterfeiting — particularly crude ferrous slugs passing in low-light vending machines and payphones — prompted the switch to this non-magnetic nickel brass alloy, which vending operators could distinguish electronically. The two types circulated simultaneously for years, creating routine confusion in automated systems.
Colombia's 50-peso coin underwent a quiet but telling revision during this run: an earlier magnetic version had been produced in nickel-clad steel, and persistent counterfeiting — particularly crude ferrous slugs passing in low-light vending machines and payphones — prompted the switch to this non-magnetic nickel brass alloy, which vending operators could distinguish electronically. The two types circulated simultaneously for years, creating routine confusion in automated systems.