50 Paisa

Pakistan's coinage underwent a significant decimalization in 1961, converting from the anna system to 100 paisa to the rupee. This 50 paisa type arrived over a decade later, during a period of considerable economic strain — the 1971 war with India, the secession of East Pakistan as Bangladesh, and subsequent currency pressures had badly destabilized Pakistan's monetary position through much of the early 1970s. The copper-nickel alloy adopted here was a deliberate cost-reduction measure as silver had long since been abandoned for everyday coinage.

Production ran across the Lahore and Karachi mints, with subtle mint mark differences documented across the series years.