Dime (Canadian coin)

Dime (Canadian coin)

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Dime (Canadian coin)

In Canada a dime is a coin worth ten cents. It is the smallest (in physical size) of the currently issued Canadian coins. According to the Royal Canadian Mint, the official national term of the coin is the 10 cent piece, 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 1968-99 it was composed entirely of nickel, and since 2000 it has had a high steel content.

Currently the dime has, as with all Canadian coins, a portrait of Her Majesty the Queen on the obverse. The reverse contains a representation of the Bluenose, a famous Canadian schooner. The artist, Emmanuel Hahn, used three ships including the Bluenose as his models, so the ship design is actually a composite.

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

History of Composition
Special editions
First Strikes
References

History of Composition

Years	Mass	Diameter/Shape	Composition^[1]
2000?present	1.75 g	18.03 mm	92.0% steel, 5.5% copper, 2.5% nickel plating
1979?1999	2.075 g	18.03 mm	99.9% nickel
1969?1978	2.07 g	18.03 mm	99.9% nickel
1968	2.07 g 2.33 g	18.03 mm 18.034 mm	99.9% nickel (172.5M) 50% silver, 50% copper (70.4M)
1967	2.33 g	18.034 mm	50% silver, 50% copper (30.6M) 80% silver, 20% copper (32.3M)
1920?1966	2.33 g	18.034 mm	80% silver, 20% copper
1910?1919	2.33 g	18.034 mm	92.5% silver, 7.5% copper
1858?1910	2.32 g	18.034 mm	92.5% silver, 7.5% copper

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; notable for a reconfigured obverse which did not include the phrase D. G. Regina