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 ₹25 and ₹5,000.

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.

Common questions

What is the World Food Day coin worth?

The reference catalogue records 11 varieties. For the 11 priced at every grade, a worn example in Fine condition is listed between ₹5 and ₹75, and the same coins uncirculated between ₹25 and ₹5,000. A catalogue figure is a reference for one variety at one grade, not an offer.

How many World Food Day coin varieties are there?

The catalogue records 11 varieties of it, struck in 1981–1982 in 10 Paise, 25 Paise and 20 Paise. They came from Calcutta (Kolkatta Mint), Bombay (Mumbai Mint) and Hyderabad Mint.

Does condition change what the World Food Day coin is worth?

Yes, and by more than most owners expect. The same varieties are listed between ₹5 and ₹75 in Fine condition and between ₹25 and ₹5,000 uncirculated – for a typical variety the uncirculated figure is about 8.0 times the worn one. A coin that came out of a pocket or a drawer is not an uncirculated coin, and when you are deciding between two grades the lower one is nearly always right.

How do I identify which World Food Day coin I have?

Read the year and the mint mark together – neither identifies a variety on its own. 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. This issue came from Calcutta (Kolkatta Mint), Bombay (Mumbai Mint) and Hyderabad Mint.

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.