Lower denomination Post-Decimal coinage of 1961

There is a widespread misconception regarding the lower denomination coins of 1961 (1, 5, and 10). It is often believed that both pre-decimal and post-decimal coins were issued in that year; however, this is not correct. The decision to adopt decimal coinage was taken in 1959, with implementation planned for the following year. Consequently, no lower denomination coins were issued in 1960.

On January 1, 1961, Pakistan officially replaced the long-standing Anna system with the decimal system as part of its transition to the metric structure. Under this new framework, one Pakistani Rupee, previously divided into 64 Pice, was redefined to equal 100 Paisa.

It is important to note that the lowest unit in both the pre-decimal and post-decimal systems was called Paisa. During the British era, this unit was written in English as Pice, and the same spelling carried over to Pakistan’s early coinage. When decimalization was introduced, the newly issued lower denomination coins continued to bear the spelling PICE. This, however, created confusion among the public, as it was difficult to distinguish between pre-decimal and post-decimal coins. Recognizing this issue, the government later standardized the English spelling to PAISA, and subsequent coinage reflected this change. Its also important to note that the spelling in urdu remains the same on both the issues.

Accordingly, all lower denomination coins (1, 5, and 10) issued in 1961— whether inscribed as PICE or PAISA, belong to the post-decimal series.

For reference, see the attached First Day Cover of 1961 below commemorating the introduction of Decimal Coinage, which features the images of coins inscribed with PICE as the unit.

It is also important to note that, from the very beginning of the post-decimal system, Pakistan Post standardized the use of the term PAISA.