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One might be that the magnetic signature of British coins can be detected by coin-operated machines, thus preventing people from using fakes or slugs. So are there any advantages in having magnetic coins? Not really. Therefore any coin made of steel would be magnetic itself. Steel is made using iron, the most ferromagnetic element we know of. Maybe even worse are the 5p and 10p coins that, though many still think to be silver, are actually nickel-plated steel.Īll of these British coins are primarily composed of steel. While 1p and 2p coins are thought to be copper like American pennies, they are in fact mostly copper-plated steel. In the UK, coins are also deceptively minted, more so than their American cousins. Pennies also actually cost more to make than they’re worth and many countries have done away with 1 cent pieces altogether ! Nonetheless, none of these elements are very magnetic.įor contrast, let’s take a trip across the pond. That’s right! Nickels have 30 times more copper in them than pennies (while only 25% is actual nickel). In fact, most coins are a combination of both copper and nickel.
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Pennies and nickels haven’t been anywhere close to pure metals in quite some time. You might think pennies are simply copper and nickels are, well, nickel, but that’s not the case, at least not anymore. coins are made out of and rule out why they’re not magnetic.
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If you’re like us here at Apex, this is certainly an interesting fact. British coins are magnetic while American coins aren’t. Obviously, it looks different and it’s called something else (what we call cents, the British call pence or simply “p”). If you’ve ever traveled to the UK, you may have noticed some differences in the currency.