Bi-metallic coins arecoins consisting of two (bi-)metals oralloys, generally arranged with an outer ring around a contrasting center.[1] Common circulating examples include the€1,€2, United Kingdom£1 and£2, Canadian$2, South AfricaR5, Egyptian£1, Turkish1 lira and50 kurus, Indian₹10 and₹20, IndonesianRp1,000, Polish2 and 5 zł, Czech50 Kč, Hungarian100 and 200 Ft, Bulgarian1 and 2 lv., Hong Kong$10, Argentine$1 and $2,Brazilian R$1, Chilean$100 and $500, Colombian$500 and $1000, PeruvianS/2 and S/5, Albanian100 Lekë, Thai10 baht and all Mexican coins of$1 or higher denomination. For a more complete list, seeList of bi-metallic coins.
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Bi-metallic coins and medals have been issued for a long time. TheRoman Empire issued special-occasion, large medallions with a center of bronze or copper and an outer ring oforichalcum, starting with the reign ofHadrian. Meanwhile, circulating bi-metallic coins are known from the 17th century.[2][3]English farthings from 1684 through 1693 were made oftin with a central plug of copper for value. Thesilver-center centpattern produced by theUnited States in 1792 is another example.[2]
In the 1830s and 1840s, British medalist Joseph Moore produced large numbers of bi-metallic "penny model" and less common "halfpenny model" tokens, as a proposal to replace the relatively largepenny andhalfpenny coins.[4][5] Though notlegal tender, Moore's tokens were circulated widely and accepted at face value by many merchants. Despite their popularity, theRoyal Mint rejected the proposal, and did not reduce the size of the penny and halfpenny untildecimalization.[6]
The first modern circulating bi-metallic coin was theItalian 500lire, first issued in 1982.[7] Based on the minting process of the lire coin, A list of All bi-metallic coins can be foundhere
The first ever tri-metallic circulating coins were 20-francs coins introduced in France and Monaco in 1992. These were similar to the corresponding bi-metallic 10-francs coins, but had two rings instead of one.
As well as circulating coins, where they are generally restricted to high-denomination coins, bi-metallic coins are often used incommemorative issues, often made ofprecious metals. For example, the only bi-metallic coin issued by theUnited States is the$10 Library of Congress commemorative, made of agold ring around aplatinum center. They are used primarily as a way of securing againstcoin counterfeiting.[8]
The manufacturing process is similar to that of ordinary coins, except that two blanks (the inner and the outer) are struck at the same time, deforming the separate blanks sufficiently to hold them together.[9]
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