World Food Day Coin Value (1981–1982)

The World Food Day commemorative was struck in 1981–1982 in 10 Paise, 25 Paise and 20 Paise. The reference catalogue lists 11 catalogued varieties of it, and this is what it records.

What the catalogue says it is worth

Condition decides it, and the gap is wide. For the 11 varieties the catalogue prices at every grade, a worn example in Fine condition is listed between ₹5 and ₹75, and the same coins uncirculated between ₹0 and ₹1,000.

If yours came out of a drawer or a pocket rather than a sealed mint set, the Fine column is the one that applies to it. That is the single most common reason a coin is worth far less than its owner expects.

Every catalogued variety, by grade

Struck in aluminium – magnesium and copper – nickel. Prices below are the catalogue’s, per grade.

Year Denomination Mint Fine Very Fine Extremely Fine UNC Rarity
1981 10 Paise Bombay (Mumbai Mint) ₹5 ₹10 ₹15 ₹30 Common
1981 10 Paise Calcutta (Kolkatta Mint) ₹5 ₹10 ₹15 ₹30 Common
1981 10 Paise Bombay (Mumbai Mint) ₹5 ₹10 ₹15 ₹30 Common
1981 10 Paise Calcutta (Kolkatta Mint) ₹5 ₹10 ₹15 ₹50 Common
1981 25 Paise Bombay (Mumbai Mint) ₹25 ₹50 ₹75 ₹250 Scarce
1981 25 Paise Calcutta (Kolkatta Mint) ₹75 ₹100 ₹150 ₹400 Rare
1981 25 Paise Hyderabad Mint ₹25 ₹50 ₹75 ₹250 Scarce
1982 10 Paise Calcutta (Kolkatta Mint) ₹75 ₹100 ₹150 ₹250 Scarce
1982 10 Paise Hyderabad Mint ₹25 ₹50 ₹75 ₹200 Scarce
1982 20 Paise Calcutta (Kolkatta Mint) ₹50 ₹75 ₹150 ₹500 Scarce
1982 20 Paise Hyderabad Mint ₹25 ₹50 ₹100 ₹400 Scarce

Which column applies to your coin

  • Fine — clearly worn. The design reads, but the fine detail in hair, lettering or leaves has flattened. Most coins that spent time in circulation are here or below.
  • Very Fine — moderate wear on the high points only; most detail still sharp.
  • Extremely Fine — light wear visible only on the highest points, with much of the original surface still present.
  • UNC — uncirculated. No wear at all, because it never circulated. Usually this means it came from a mint set and was never spent.

Grading is judged by eye and people are generous with their own coins. If you are deciding between two columns, the lower one is nearly always the right answer.

How to read the mint mark

This issue came from Calcutta (Kolkatta Mint), Bombay (Mumbai Mint), Hyderabad Mint. The mark sits under the year on the coin: a diamond or dot for Mumbai, a star for Hyderabad, nothing at all for Kolkata, a solid dot for Noida. Year and mint together identify a variety; neither does it alone.

What a catalogue figure is, and is not

It is a reference for one variety at one stated grade, not an offer and not a market price. What a specific coin fetches depends on who wants that exact piece on that day, and on a condition assessment that usually has to be seen rather than described. Two coins of the same year and mint can sit two columns apart in the table above.

Where this leaves you

If you are holding one, compare it against the table above by year and mint, and judge the condition strictly. Every other denomination is catalogued here, and if you decide to part with it, this explains how selling actually works.