1909 Victorian Leaves Canadian Dime
The 1909 Victorian 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 Victorian Leaves Canadian Dime worth?
The 1909 Victorian 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 Victorian 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 Victorian Leaves Canadian dimes were made?
- 1,697,220 were struck for circulation (a combined figure for the Victorian Leaves and Edwardian Leaves varieties).
- What is the 1909 Victorian Leaves Canadian Dime made of?
- Sterling silver (92.5% silver). It weighs 2.33 g and measures 18.03 mm.
- Is the 1909 Victorian 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
In 1909 the Ottawa mint introduced a revised wreath for the reverse of the dime and for that year both the old and new styles were used. The source calls them Victorian leaves and Edwardian leaves. The Victorian leaves coins have a wreath similar to the 1902 to 1908 reverse, which itself followed the design used under Queen Victoria. The published mintage of 1,697,220 covers both varieties together, so there is no separate figure for this version.
Two reverse types in one year was not unusual in this period, since older and newer working dies could be used side by side. The result was a single year with two reverse types. Most people who held these dimes in 1909 would never have noticed, since the difference is in the shape and detail of the leaves rather than anything obvious. Collectors notice, though and the 1909 has become one of the classic Edwardian varieties. If you only collect dates, one 1909 is enough. If you like varieties, you need both. Both types were struck at Ottawa.
How to recognize it
Edward VII's crowned and robed bust faces right on the obverse, with EDWARDVS VII DEI GRATIA REX IMPERATOR. The reverse shows 10 CENTS and 1909 in a crowned maple wreath. On this version the leaves match the reverse of the 1902 to 1908 dimes. The easiest way to check is to put your coin next to a 1908 dime and a 1910 dime and compare the leaves. If it matches the 1908, you have the Victorian leaves coin. Struck in sterling silver, it weighs about 2.33 g, measures 18 mm and holds a little under 0.07 troy oz of silver.
1909 Victorian Leaves Canadian Dime by the numbers
The published 1,697,220 for 1909 covers both the Victorian Leaves and Edwardian 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 Edwardian Leaves Canadian Dime.
Over the 1900s the Mint produced 14.7 million dimes across 12 dates and varieties; the 1909 Victorian Leaves Canadian Dime accounts for 12% of that.
What to check on your 1909 Victorian 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: Victorian 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.
Any 1909 dime carries a collector premium as Edwardian sterling silver. To attribute the variety you need a coin with enough detail left in the wreath, since heavy wear flattens the leaves and hides the differences. Use a magnifier and good photographs of both types. Specialists collect the pair and a coin that is clearly attributable is more desirable than one that is too worn to call. Keep the coin in a labeled holder so the attribution travels with it. A clear example of either type makes a satisfying addition to an Edwardian set.
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 Edwardian 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 Edwardian Leaves Canadian Dime | 1,697,220 | Metal value |
Frequently asked questions
What are Victorian leaves on a 1909 dime?
It is the name for the 1909 reverse whose maple leaves match the earlier 1902 to 1908 design, which was based on the Victorian wreath. The other 1909 version has the newer Edwardian leaves.
How many 1909 Victorian leaves dimes were struck?
There is no separate published figure. The mintage of 1,697,220 covers both the Victorian leaves and Edwardian leaves coins of 1909 together, so the split between the two is not recorded.
Mintage figures: Dime (Canadian coin) (Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0), compiled from Royal Canadian Mint figures. How we build these pages.