Dime (Canadian coin)

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Dime (Canada)
Value: 0.10 CAD
Mass: 1.75 g
Diameter: 18.03 mm
Thickness: 1.22 mm
Edge: milled
Composition: 92% steel,
5.5% Cu,
2.5% Ni plating
Years of Minting: 2003–present
Catalog Number: -
Obverse
Obverse
Design: Queen Elizabeth II, Canada's Queen
Designer: Susanna Blunt
Design Date: 2003
Reverse
Reverse
Design: Bluenose schooner
Designer: Emmanuel Hahn
Design Date: 1937

In Canada a dime is a coin worth ten cents. It is the smallest (in physical size) of the Canadian coins. According to the Royal Canadian Mint, the official national term of the coin is the 10 cent coin, but in practice the term dime is universal. It is nearly identical in size to the American dime, but unlike its counterpart, the Canadian dime is magnetic due to a distinct metal composition: from 1979-99 it was composed entirely of nickel, and since 2000 it has had a high steel content.

Currently the dime has a representation of the Bluenose, a famous Canadian schooner, on the reverse. The artist, Emmanuel Hahn, used 3 ships including the Bluenose as his models, so the ship design is actually a composite.

The word "dime" comes from the French word "dîme", meaning "tithe" or "tenth part," from the Latin decima [pars].

[edit] History of Composition [1]

Years Weight Diameter/Shape Composition
2000–present 1.75 g 18.03 mm 92.0% steel, 5.5% copper, 2.5% nickel plating
19791999 2.075 g 18.03 mm 99.9% nickel
19681978 2.07 g 18.03 mm 99.9% nickel
19671968 2.33 g 18.034 mm 50% silver, 50% copper
19201967 2.33 g 18.034 mm 80% silver, 20% copper
19101919 2.33 g 18.034 mm 92.5% silver, 7.5% copper
18581910 2.32 g 18.034 mm 92.5% silver, 7.5% copper

[edit] Special editions

  • 1967: Canadian centennial; all coins had unique reverses, 10 cent had a mackerel
  • 2001: A special edition 10-cent coin was released to honour volunteers.

[edit] First Strikes

Year Theme Mintage Issue Price
2005 Bluenose 1,861 $14.95
2006 With New Mint Mark 5,000 $29.95