In Canada, a dime has a value of ten cents and is the smallest form of coin currency in the country. The dime was created to be smaller than the penny and is the second smallest value of coin currency after the nickel, when considering coinage still in circulation. The official term for the coin is a 10 cent piece but the coin is normally referred to as a dime.
The dime is almost identical in size to the dime found in America but is magnetic due to the composition of the coin. From the time period of 1968 to 1999, the coin was created with almost 100% nickel so this made the coins magnetic. From the year 2000, the coin has been minted with steel included.
Dimes produced today feature a portrait of Her Majesty the Queen on the obverse side. For every coin minted by the Royal Canadian Mint, the reigning monarch of that time period is featured on the obverse. The reverse would contain another image, something to represent the country or the time period. Today, dimes have the image of the Bluenose, a famous schooner of Canada. Emmanuel Hahn, a renowned artist, created the image for the coin. The dimes produced today are done in the facility of the Royal Canadian Mint found in Winnipeg.
1920-1929
The dimes minted from 1920 to 1929 continued to have the same image of George V on the obverse side as he was the reigning monarch at the time. The inscription DEI GRATIA, meaning “God’s Grace” in Latin can be seen on the obverse as well. The design of the coin would not change during this time period but the composition would. The Royal Canadian Mint would decide to reduce the silver used to 80% from 92%. The weight and size would stay the same as with earlier issues of the coin.
MINTAGES
The Royal Canadian Mint was first opened in Ottawa in 1908. If you look at the mintages of dimes from the beginning, the Mint would produce mass quantities every year. Oddly enough, from 1922 to 1927, there were no dimes produced by the Royal Canadian Mint. This was the largest break in the history of the Mint and by 1928, the coin production would be back in action and no break taken since.
| Year | Mintage Numbers |
| 1920 | 6,305,345 |
| 1921 | 2,469,562 |
| 1922-1927 | 0 |
| 1928 | 2,458,602 |
| 1929 | 3,253,888 |
Coins from 1920 to 1929 are still collectible but do not have the value as other eras do. Coin collectors who wish to have a collection that is complete with either Canadian dimes or Canadian coins in general. Have any coins from this era appraised to see what value you have or stay on the search for coins that you might be missing from your collection from this time frame.
