1972 25 Paise Coin Value

The catalogue records 3 catalogued varieties of the 25 Paise for 1972, struck at Calcutta (Kolkatta Mint), Hyderabad Mint, Bombay (Mumbai Mint).

Is the 1972 one the rare one?

Partly. Of the 3 varieties struck that year the catalogue separates 2 Scarce from the rest. Which one you have depends on the mint mark, not the year alone.

Every 1972 variety, by mint

Mint Rarity Metal Weight Diameter Thickness
Calcutta (Kolkatta Mint) Scarce Copper – Nickel 2.5 grams 19.00 mm 1.2 mm
Hyderabad Mint Scarce Copper – Nickel 2.5 grams 19.00 mm 1.2 mm
Bombay (Mumbai Mint) Common Copper – Nickel 2.5 grams 19.00 mm 1.2 mm

Check it against your own coin

Every 1972 variety weighs 2.5 grams and measures 19.00 mm across, circular. If yours is noticeably lighter or smaller it is not a 1972 25 Paise, whatever the date reads as.

Weigh it on any scale that reads to a tenth of a gram, and measure the diameter across the widest point. Wear removes very little weight, so a coin more than a few percent off the figure above is usually a different issue rather than a worn one.

Reading the mint mark on your coin

The mark sits under the year. A star is Hyderabad, a diamond or dot is Mumbai, a solid dot is Noida, and no mark at all is Kolkata. On a 1972 25 Paise that mark is the whole question, because the year on its own does not separate one variety from another.

What it is worth

The catalogue records no price for any 1972 variety. That is not missing data. It is the catalogue saying the coin was struck in numbers large enough that an ordinary example carries no collector premium, whichever mint it came from.

Scarce is not the same as valuable. It means fewer were struck or fewer survived, which is a reason for a collector to look twice, not a price.

Every other year and denomination is catalogued here, and this explains how selling actually works.