# Dime (Canadian coin)

In Canada, a dime is a coin worth ten cents. It has been the physically smallest Canadian coin since 1922; it is smaller even than the country's penny, despite its higher face value. According to the Royal Canadian Mint, the official national term of the coin is the 10-cent piece, but in practice, the term dime predominates in English-speaking Canada. It is nearly identical in size to the American dime. Unlike its American counterpart, the Canadian dime is magnetic due to a distinct metal composition. From 1968 to 2000, it was composed entirely of nickel, and since 2001, it has consisted of a steel core with plating composed of layers of nickel and copper.
The most prevalent version of the coin features a portrait of Elizabeth II on the obverse, although a new version featuring Charles III was introduced in 2023. The reverse contains a representation of the Bluenose, a famous Canadian schooner. According to the Royal Canadian Mint, "Artist Emanuel Hahn developed his design for the 10-cent coin from photos of the famous Bluenose schooner." The coin is produced by the Royal Canadian Mint at its facility in Winnipeg.
The word dime comes from the French word dîme, meaning "tithe" or "tenth part", from the Latin decima [pars].

## Composition and size

| Years | Mass | Diameter | Composition |
| 1858–1919 | 2.33 g | 18.034 mm | 92.5% silver, 7.5% copper |
| 1920–1967 | 2.33 g | 18.034 mm | 80% silver, 20% copper |
| 1967–1968 | 2.33 g | 18.03 mm | 50% silver, 50% copper |
| 1968–1977 | 2.07 g | 18.03 mm | 99.9% nickel |
| 1978–2000 | 2.07 g | 18.03 mm | 99.9% nickel |
| 2001–present | 1.75 g | 18.03 mm | 92.0% steel (AISI 1006 alloy), 5.5% copper, 2.5% nickel plating |

## Circulation figures
### Elizabeth II

| Year | Mintage |
| 1953 No strap | 17,706,395 |
| 1953 Strap | 17,706,395 |
| 1954 | 4,493,150 |
| 1955 | 12,237,294 |
| 1956 | 16,732,844 |
| 1957 | 16,110,229 |
| 1958 | 10,621,236 |
| 1959 | 19,691,433 |
| 1960 | 45,446,835 |
| 1961 | 26,850,859 |
| 1962 | 41,864,335 |
| 1963 | 41,916,208 |
| 1964 | 49,518,549 |
| 1965 | 56,965,392 |
| 1966 | 34,567,898 |
| 1967 80% silver | 62,998,215 |
| 1967 50% silver | 62,998,215 |
| 1968 50% silver | 70,460,000 |
| 1968 Nickel | 87,412,930 |
| 1968 Nickel | 85,170,000 |
| 1969 | 55,833,929 |
| 1970 | 5,249,296 |
| 1971 | 41,016,968 |
| 1972 | 60,169,387 |
| 1973 | 167,715,435 |
| 1974 | 201,566,565 |
| 1975 | 207,680,000 |
| 1976 | 95,018,533 |
| 1977 | 128,452,206 |
| 1978 | 170,366,431 |
| 1979 | 237,321,321 |
| 1980 | 170,111,533 |
| 1981 | 123,912,900 |
| 1982 | 93,475,000 |
| 1983 | 111,065,000 |
| 1984 | 121,690,000 |
| 1985 | 143,025,000 |
| 1986 | 168,620,000 |
| 1987 | 147,309,000 |
| 1988 | 162,998,558 |
| 1989 | 199,104,414 |
| 1990 | 65,023,000 |
| 1991 | 50,397,000 |
| 1992 | 174,476,000 |
| 1993 | 135,569,000 |
| 1994 | 145,800,000 |
| 1995 | 123,875,000 |
| 1996 | 51,814,000 |
| 1997 | 43,126,000 |
| 1998 | 203,514,000 |
| 1999 | 258,462,000 |
| 2000 | 159,125,000 |
| 2001 P Bluenose | 266,000,000 |
| 2001 P YOTV | 224,714,000 |
| 2002 P | 252,563,000 |
| 2003 P Crowned | 162,398,000 |
| 2003 P Uncrowned | 162,398,000 |
| 2004 P | 211,924,000 |
| 2005 P | 212,175,000 |
| 2006 P | 312,122,000 |
| 2007 | 304,110,000 |
| 2008 | 467,495,000 |
| 2009 | 370,700,000 |
| 2010 | 252,500,000 |
| 2011 | 292,325,000 |
| 2012 | 334,675,000 |
| 2013 | 104,775,000 |
| 2014 | 153,450,000 |
| 2015 | 112,475,000 |
| 2016 | 220,000,000 |
| 2017 | 199,925,000 |
| 2017 150th ANV | 20,000,000 |
| 2018 | 118,525,000 |
| 2019 | 159,775,000 |
| 2020 | 68,750,000 |
| 2021 Bluenose (old) | 170,775,000 |
| 2021 Dual dated | 170,775,000 |
| 2022 | 103,400,000 |

### Charles III

| Year | Mintage |
| 2023 | 43,205,000 |
| 2024 | TBA |

## Commemoratives

| Date | Mintage | Reason |
| 1997 | 49,848 | 500th anniversary of Caboto's first transatlantic voyage |
| 1998 | 43,269 | 90th anniversary of the Royal Canadian Mint |
| 2000 | 69,791 | 100th anniversary of the first credit union in Canada |
| 2001 | 40,634 | International Year of the Volunteer (non-circulating silver proof) |
| 2002 | 65,315 | Elizabeth II (Golden Jubilee; non-circulating silver proof) |
| 2003 | 21,537 | Elizabeth II (Golden Jubilee) |
| 2004 | 39,486 | 100th anniversary of the Open Golf Championship of Canada |
| 2010 | 4,996 | 75th anniversary of Canada's Voyageur Silver Dollar |
| 2011 | 6,000 | 100th anniversary of George V on Canadian coins |
| 2017 | 8,017 | 150th anniversary of the Confederation of Canada (Centennial mackerel; 2017 version) |
| 2017 | 20,000 | 150th anniversary of the Confederation of Canada (our home and native land) |
| 2021 | 6,000,000 | In 2021, a new Bluenose design was issued on the reverse; these dimes feature coloured blue waves. |
| 2021 | 9,000,000 | Uncoloured version of the new Bluenose design |
| 2023 | 952,000 | Elizabeth II (Platinum Jubilee) |

## Collecting

* 1936 dot: Extremely rare with only 5 known. There are 3 in private collections, one graded Specimen-63 and 2 examples graded SP-68. The other 2 are in the Ottawa currency museum. The most recent of these to sell at auction was one of the SP68 coins, which brought US$184,000 in a Heritage Auction in January 2010.
* 1969 large date: Fewer than 20 examples of the large date variety exist. High-grade versions of this coin sell for $15,000 to $30,000. There is only one graded in mint state as of 2012.
* 1999p: The first Canadian 10-cent coin issued with the new plating "P" process. Plated coins are marked with a small "P" beneath the Queen's effigy on the obverse of the coin. Mintage is limited to 20,000 coins.
* 2000p: The 2000p Canada dime is scarce with fewer than 250 examples minted. The 2000p dime was lent to the vending industry by the Royal Canadian Mint to test the compatibility of the new plating process of circulation coins with existing vending machines and parking meters. Under contractual obligation, these coins were to be returned to the mint once the compatibility tests were complete. Of the approximately 250 coins minted, many were not returned to the mint, leading to significant debate surrounding the legality of owning these coins. High-grade examples of the 2000p 10-cent issue range from $1,500 to $3,000 CDN. Unlike the 5-cent 2000p issues, the 10-cent coin was not officially released by the mint, and entered the numismatic market illegally.