1909 Edwardian Leaves Canadian Dime
The 1909 Edwardian Leaves Canadian Dime is a Canadian dime struck for circulation with 1.7 million made. Value band: metal value. Here is how to recognize it, what makes one worth more and what to check on yours.
- Year
- 1909
- Circulation mintage
- 1,697,220
- Value band
- Metal value
- Composition
- Sterling silver (92.5% silver)
Original illustration of the coin's shape and metal. Tap to flip. Not a picture of the actual design.
Face value · Metal value · Small premium · Collector premium · Significant rarity. We use bands because prices change daily.
What is a 1909 Edwardian Leaves Canadian Dime worth?
The 1909 Edwardian Leaves Canadian Dime is a silver coin with 0.0693 troy ounces of pure silver, so its floor is its metal value: 0.0693 times the day's silver spot price. With 1.7 million made, worn examples trade for about their silver; collectors pay more for sharp, original coins and much more for uncirculated ones with full luster.
What would make yours worth more:
- Sharp detail with original luster
- A recognized variety for the date
- Professional grading for a key date
For market prices, look at recent sold results for the same coin in the same condition, not asking prices.
Quick answers
- Is the 1909 Edwardian Leaves Canadian Dime rare?
- Not by mintage. 1.7 million were made, but it is silver, so even worn examples are worth their metal value rather than face value.
- How many 1909 Edwardian Leaves Canadian dimes were made?
- 1,697,220 were struck for circulation (a combined figure for the Edwardian Leaves and Victorian Leaves varieties).
- What is the 1909 Edwardian Leaves Canadian Dime made of?
- Sterling silver (92.5% silver). It weighs 2.33 g and measures 18.03 mm.
- Is the 1909 Edwardian Leaves 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.
The 1909 dime in context
The second 1909 variety has what the source calls Edwardian leaves, a redesigned wreath similar to the one used on dimes from 1910 to 1912. The new style was introduced during 1909 while the older Victorian style was still being used, so the year has two reverse types. Together they total 1,697,220 coins, the published mintage for the year and no split between the two is recorded.
The new wreath outlived the king it was designed for. Edward VII died in May 1910 and his son George V's first dimes of 1911 and 1912 kept the Edwardian leaves reverse unchanged. That gives the design a short but interesting life spanning two reigns. For collectors the 1909 Edwardian leaves is the start of that run and the partner to the 1909 Victorian leaves coin. Both were struck in Ottawa in the mint's second year of operation, when output was rising quickly. The 1909 total was more than double the 776,666 dimes of 1908 and the following year would bring a record.
How to recognize it
The obverse is de Saulles's crowned and robed bust of Edward VII facing right, with EDWARDVS VII DEI GRATIA REX IMPERATOR. On the reverse, 10 CENTS and 1909 sit inside a crowned wreath of maple leaves, here in the newer style matching the 1910 dime. Compare your coin with a 1910 and a 1908 side by side: if the leaves match the 1910, you have the Edwardian leaves version. Like every Edwardian dime it is sterling silver at about 2.33 g and roughly 18 mm, with a reeded edge, holding a little under 0.07 troy oz of silver. The coin has no mint letter.
1909 Edwardian Leaves Canadian Dime by the numbers
The published 1,697,220 for 1909 covers both the Edwardian Leaves and Victorian Leaves varieties together, so neither can be ranked on its own. As a date, 1909 sits 40th lowest among Canadian dime dates by output.
Compared with the dates around it, the 1909 output was 2.2 times the 1908 figure and 2.6 times fewer than 1910. Other 1909 dimes: 1909 Victorian Leaves Canadian Dime.
Over the 1900s the Mint produced 14.7 million dimes across 12 dates and varieties; the 1909 Edwardian Leaves Canadian Dime accounts for 12% of that.
What to check on your 1909 Edwardian Leaves 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.
- Confirm the variety: Edwardian style leaves. Use a magnifier and compare with a reference picture before you assume you have the scarcer one.
- 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.
A 1909 Edwardian leaves dime carries a collector premium in any grade. Attribution needs a coin with clear leaf detail, so start by checking how much of the wreath survives. Heavily worn coins can be hard to call either way. If you collect varieties, keep the pair together with a note of which is which, as the difference is easy to forget when the coins are out of their holders. A clear, well struck example is the goal. Original toning is preferred to bright, cleaned surfaces by most collectors.
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
| Country | Canada |
|---|---|
| Denomination | 10 cents |
| Issuer | Royal Canadian Mint |
| Year | 1909 |
| Circulation mintage | 1,697,220 (with the Victorian Leaves variety) |
| Composition | Sterling silver (92.5% silver) |
| Weight | 2.33 g |
| Diameter | 18.03 mm |
| Shape | Round |
| Edge | Reeded |
Other 1909 Canadian dimes
| Coin | Circulation mintage | Value band |
|---|---|---|
| 1909 Victorian Leaves Canadian Dime | 1,697,220 | Metal value |
Frequently asked questions
How do you spot the Edwardian leaves on a 1909 dime?
Compare its wreath with a 1910 dime. If the leaves match the 1910 design rather than the 1908 one, it is the Edwardian leaves variety. A magnifier and good photographs of both types help a lot.
Did the Edwardian leaves design continue after Edward VII?
Yes. The wreath introduced in 1909 stayed on the dime through 1910 and was kept for George V's dimes of 1911 and 1912, ending with the scarce 1913 large leaves coins early in 1913.
Mintage figures: Dime (Canadian coin) (Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0), compiled from Royal Canadian Mint figures. How we build these pages.