1985 50 Paise Coin Value

The catalogue records 10 catalogued varieties of the 50 Paise for 1985, struck at Bombay (Mumbai Mint), Calcutta (Kolkatta Mint), Hyderabad Mint, Taegu Korea.

Is the 1985 one the rare one?

Partly. Of the 10 varieties struck that year the catalogue separates 5 Scarce from the rest. Which one you have depends on the mint mark, not the year alone.

Every 1985 variety, by mint

Mint Rarity Metal Weight Diameter Thickness UNC (catalogue)
Bombay (Mumbai Mint) Scarce Copper – Nickel 5.00 grams 24.00 mm 1.5 mm not priced
Calcutta (Kolkatta Mint) Scarce Copper – Nickel 5.00 grams 24.00 mm 1.5 mm not priced
Calcutta (Kolkatta Mint) Scarce Copper – Nickel 5.00 grams 24.00 mm ₹300
Hyderabad Mint Scarce Copper – Nickel 5.00 grams 24.00 mm 1.5 mm not priced
Hyderabad Mint Scarce Copper – Nickel 5.00 grams 24.00 mm ₹25
Bombay (Mumbai Mint) Common Copper – Nickel 5.00 grams 24.00 mm ₹15
Bombay (Mumbai Mint) Common Copper – Nickel 5.00 grams 24.00 mm ₹15
Calcutta (Kolkatta Mint) Common Copper – Nickel 5.00 grams 24.00 mm ₹15
Hyderabad Mint Common Copper – Nickel 5.00 grams 24.00 mm ₹15
Taegu Korea Common Copper – Nickel 5.00 grams 24.00 mm 1.5 mm not priced

Check it against your own coin

Every 1985 variety weighs 5.00 grams and measures 24.00 mm across, circular. If yours is noticeably lighter or smaller it is not a 1985 50 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 1985 50 Paise that mark is the whole question, because the year on its own does not separate one variety from another.

What it is worth

6 of the 10 varieties carry a reference price, from ₹15 to ₹300 in uncirculated condition. A coin that spent years in circulation is not that coin.

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