1903 H Canadian Dime

Quick answers

Is the 1903 H Canadian Dime rare?

Not by mintage. 1.32 million were made, but it is silver, so even worn examples are worth their metal value rather than face value.

How many 1903 H Canadian dimes were made?

1,320,000 were struck for circulation.

What is the 1903 H Canadian Dime made of?

Sterling silver (92.5% silver). It weighs 2.33 g and measures 18.03 mm.

Is the 1903 H Canadian Dime still legal tender?

Yes. Canadian dimes are legal tender, but a silver one is worth more for its metal than its face value.

How to recognize it

The 1903 H Canadian Dime is round, 18.03 mm across and sterling silver (92.5% silver).

1903 H Canadian Dime by the numbers

In mintage terms the 1903 H Canadian Dime ranks 37th lowest of 157 Canadian dime dates and varieties from 1858 to 2024. The next scarcer is the 1858 Canadian Dime (1.25 million); the next more common is the 1880 H Canadian Dime (1.5 million).

For scale, the most common is the 2008 Canadian Dime with 467.5 million, about 354 times as many. The scarcest is the 1884 Canadian Dime with 150,000, 8.8 times fewer than this one.

Compared with the dates around it, the 1903 output was 1.2 times the 1902 figure and 1.3 times the 1904 figure. Other 1903 dimes: 1903 Canadian Dime (500,000).

Over the 1900s the Mint produced 14.7 million dimes across 12 dates and varieties; the 1903 H Canadian Dime accounts for 9.0% of that.

What to check on your 1903 H Canadian Dime

• Check the date first: silver Canadian dimes carry dates from 1858 to 1968; this one has 0.0693 troy oz. Silver coins are not magnetic and ring clearly when dropped on a hard surface.
• Never clean it. Rubbing or polishing leaves fine scratches that collectors spot at once and that cut the value of silver dates sharply.
• Look at the high points of the portrait and the design. Wear there sets the grade. The grade in turn drives the value of older dimes.

Edward VII sterling dimes (1902 to 1910)

Queen Victoria died in January 1901 and the first dimes for her son Edward VII are dated 1902. The new king appears crowned and robed, modeled by George William de Saulles, with the legend EDWARDVS VII DEI GRATIA REX IMPERATOR. The reverse kept its familiar layout of 10 CENTS and the date inside a wreath of maple leaves, but the crown at the top was redrawn. London and the Heaton mint both struck dimes in 1902 and 1903, so those years exist with and without an H.

The big change of the reign came in January 1908, when the Ottawa branch of the Royal Mint opened. From that year on, Canada's dimes were struck at home. Output climbed with a growing economy, from 500,000 in 1903 to 4,468,331 in 1910, the largest dime mintage up to that time. The coins are still sterling silver at about 2.33 g and roughly 18 mm, carrying a little under 0.07 troy oz of pure silver. In 1909 the wreath on the reverse was redesigned, which is why the 1909 dime comes in two versions with different leaves.

Edward VII dimes are easier to find than Victorian ones, but most are worn. Look at the crown on the king's head and the folds of his robes, which wear flat quickly. The 1903 London coin, with 500,000 struck, is the scarcest regular date, while the 1908 marks the first year of Ottawa production. On 1909 dimes compare the leaves with a picture of each type before deciding which you have. Every coin of the reign is silver, so none is ever just face value.

Mintage chart

Specifications

Other 1903 Canadian dimes