Dime (Canadian coin)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| 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 | |
 |
|
| Design: | Queen Elizabeth II, Queen of Canada |
| Designer: | Susanna Blunt |
| Design date: | 2003 |
| 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 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 "dîme", meaning "tithe" or "tenth part," from the Latin decima [pars].
Contents |
[edit] 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 |
[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; notable for a reconfigured obverse which did not include the phrase D. G. Regina
[edit] First Strikes
| Year | Theme | Mintage | Issue Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2005 | Bluenose | 1,861 | $14.95 |
| 2006 | With New Mint Mark | 5,000 | $29.95 |
[edit] References
- Cross, W.K. [2005]. Canadian Coins, 59th edition, Toronto: The Charlton Press, 501. ISBN 0-88968-288-7.
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
 This coin-related article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |
 |
This Canada-related article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |
