1913 Small Leaves Canadian Dime
The 1913 Small Leaves Canadian Dime is a Canadian dime struck for circulation with 3.61 million made. Value band: metal value. Here is how to recognize it, what makes one worth more and what to check on yours.
- Year
- 1913
- Circulation mintage
- 3,613,937
- 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 1913 Small Leaves Canadian Dime worth?
The 1913 Small 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 3.61 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 1913 Small Leaves Canadian Dime rare?
- Not by mintage. 3.61 million were made, but it is silver, so even worn examples are worth their metal value rather than face value.
- How many 1913 Small Leaves Canadian dimes were made?
- 3,613,937 were struck for circulation (a combined figure for the Small Leaves and Large Leaves varieties).
- What is the 1913 Small Leaves Canadian Dime made of?
- Sterling silver (92.5% silver). It weighs 2.33 g and measures 18.03 mm.
- Is the 1913 Small 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 1913 dime in context
In 1913 the dime was struck with two versions of the maple wreath on the reverse, known as small leaves and large leaves. The small leaves coins are the common version. The published mintage of 3,613,937 covers both types together, so there is no separate figure for each, but nearly all 1913 dimes you find will be small leaves. It was another big year for the Ottawa mint, the largest dime mintage since 1910.
Canada's long prewar boom was still running in 1913, a year of record immigration and coin demand followed. The small leaves wreath was new that year and stayed on the dime until 1936. Collectors give most attention to the large leaves coins because they are scarce, but the small leaves version is the standard 1913 and the one most people own. If you have a 1913 dime, the odds strongly favor small leaves. That still makes it worth a careful look, since the only way to be sure is to check the wreath. Those few seconds might reveal the much scarcer partner.
How to recognize it
Mackennal's robed and crowned George V looks left, framed by GEORGIVS V DEI GRA: REX ET IND: IMP:. On the reverse, 10 CENTS and 1913 sit inside a crowned maple wreath. On the small leaves coins the individual leaves are narrower than on the large leaves version, which has noticeably broader leaves. The easiest check is to compare your coin with good photographs of both types. The dime is sterling silver at about 2.33 g and 18 mm with a reeded edge, so a little under 0.07 troy oz of silver. You will not find a mint mark, since it was struck in Ottawa.
1913 Small Leaves Canadian Dime by the numbers
The published 3,613,937 for 1913 covers both the Small Leaves and Large Leaves varieties together, so neither can be ranked on its own. As a date, 1913 sits 55th lowest among Canadian dime dates by output.
Compared with the dates around it, the 1913 output was 1.1 times the 1912 figure and 1.4 times the 1914 figure. Other 1913 dimes: 1913 Large Leaves Canadian Dime.
Over the 1910s the Mint produced 39.5 million dimes across 10 dates and varieties; the 1913 Small Leaves Canadian Dime accounts for 9.1% of that.
What to check on your 1913 Small 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: small 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 small leaves 1913 is a common George V dime. In worn condition it is valued mainly for its silver, with a small premium for age, while uncirculated coins carry a collector premium. The real reason to look closely is to rule out the large leaves variety. Use a magnifier on the leaves around the wreath and compare carefully before putting the coin away. Even if yours turns out to be the common type, a nice small leaves 1913 is still a good George V silver dime to keep in a date set.
George V sterling dimes (1911 to 1919)
George V succeeded his father in May 1910 and his first Canadian coins are dated 1911. Bertram Mackennal modeled the crowned and robed bust, which faces left. The 1911 legend, GEORGIVS V REX ET IND: IMP:, left out DEI GRA:, the words for by the grace of God and the public reaction was loud enough that the dies were changed. From 1912 the legend reads GEORGIVS V DEI GRA: REX ET IND: IMP:. The 1911 coins are still known as the Godless issue.
The reverse kept 10 CENTS and the date inside a crowned maple wreath. In 1913 two versions of the wreath were used, one with small leaves and one with broader large leaves; the large leaves dimes are much the scarcer. The dime was still sterling silver, about 2.33 g and 18 mm, all struck in Ottawa. Mintages fell to 688,057 in 1915 and then soared during the First World War, as wages and prices rose and people needed more change. By 1919 the Ottawa mint struck 7,877,722 dimes, a record that stood until 1940.
These are the last sterling silver dimes Canada made, each with a little under 0.07 troy oz of pure silver. Most are worn, so look at the crown and the jewels on the king's robe for remaining detail. Check 1913 dimes closely against pictures of the two leaf styles, since the large leaves version is a genuine rarity. The 1911 is popular as a one year legend and the 1915 is the low mintage date of the period.
Mintage chart
Specifications
| Country | Canada |
|---|---|
| Denomination | 10 cents |
| Issuer | Royal Canadian Mint |
| Year | 1913 |
| Circulation mintage | 3,613,937 (with the Large Leaves variety) |
| Composition | Sterling silver (92.5% silver) |
| Weight | 2.33 g |
| Diameter | 18.03 mm |
| Shape | Round |
| Edge | Reeded |
Other 1913 Canadian dimes
| Coin | Circulation mintage | Value band |
|---|---|---|
| 1913 Large Leaves Canadian Dime | 3,613,937 | Collector premium |
Frequently asked questions
Is a typical 1913 dime small leaves or large leaves?
Most likely small leaves, since that is the common version. Compare the wreath with photographs of both types: the large leaves coin has broader leaves. The large leaves dime is much the scarcer.
Are 1913 small leaves dimes valuable?
They are common and worth roughly their silver value when worn, with a collector premium for uncirculated coins. The large leaves version of 1913 is the one collectors pay well above face value for.
Mintage figures: Dime (Canadian coin) (Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0), compiled from Royal Canadian Mint figures. How we build these pages.