1947 Canadian Dime
The 1947 Canadian Dime is a Canadian dime struck for circulation with 4.43 million made. Value band: metal value. Here is how to recognize it, what makes one worth more and what to check on yours.
- Year
- 1947
- Circulation mintage
- 4,431,926
- Value band
- Metal value
- Composition
- 80% silver, 20% copper
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 1947 Canadian Dime worth?
The 1947 Canadian Dime is a silver coin with 0.0599 troy ounces of pure silver, so its floor is its metal value: 0.0599 times the day's silver spot price. With 4.43 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 1947 Canadian Dime rare?
- Not by mintage. 4.43 million were made, but it is silver, so even worn examples are worth their metal value rather than face value.
- How many 1947 Canadian dimes were made?
- 4,431,926 were struck for circulation.
- What is the 1947 Canadian Dime made of?
- 80% silver, 20% copper. It weighs 2.33 g and measures 18.03 mm.
- Is the 1947 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 1947 dime in context
The regular 1947 dime is the last one struck with the old legend that called George VI Emperor of India. The Ottawa mint made 4,431,926 of them during 1947, down from 6,300,066 in 1946 as the postwar economy settled. In August 1947 India and Pakistan became independent and the king could no longer be called Emperor of India on new coins. New dies with a corrected legend were ordered, but they were not ready in time.
That delay created one of the best known varieties in Canadian coinage. Early in 1948 the mint kept striking coins with 1947 dies, adding a small maple leaf after the date to show that they were made in the new year. Those maple leaf dimes outnumber the plain 1947, which makes this one of the few cases where the ordinary version is the less common of the pair. For collectors the plain 1947 is the standard version of the year and the last regular date of the original George VI type. It is easy to find, but it belongs beside its maple leaf partner in any set.
How to recognize it
Paget's bare-headed George VI faces left with GEORGIVS VI D:G: REX ET IND:IMP: around him. The ET IND:IMP: at the end of the legend is the abbreviation for Emperor of India, the title that was dropped after this date. On the reverse, Hahn's schooner sails with CANADA, 10 CENTS and 1947 and there is no maple leaf after the date. Made of 80 percent silver, it weighs about 2.33 g and measures 18 mm, containing roughly 0.06 troy oz of silver. If you see a tiny leaf beside the date, you have the maple leaf variety instead. Check that spot first.
1947 Canadian Dime by the numbers
Measured by how many were made, the 1947 Canadian Dime ranks 59th lowest of 157 Canadian dime dates and varieties from 1858 to 2024. The next scarcer is the 1916 Canadian Dime (4.22 million); the next more common is the 1910 Canadian Dime (4.47 million).
For scale, the most common is the 2008 Canadian Dime with 467.5 million, about 105 times as many. The scarcest is the 1884 Canadian Dime with 150,000, 30 times fewer than this one.
Compared with the dates around it, the 1947 output was 1.4 times fewer than 1946 and 10 times the 1948 figure. Other 1947 dimes: 1947 Maple Leaf Canadian Dime (9.64 million).
Over the 1940s the Mint produced 109.1 million dimes across 11 dates and varieties; the 1947 Canadian Dime accounts for 4.1% of that.
What to check on your 1947 Canadian Dime
- Check the date first: silver Canadian dimes carry dates from 1858 to 1968; this one has 0.0599 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.
The plain 1947 is a common silver date, valued mainly for its silver when worn and carrying a collector premium in uncirculated condition. Its main interest is as the partner of the 1947 maple leaf. Check every 1947 dime for the leaf before putting it away. A matched pair of the plain and maple leaf coins in similar condition makes an attractive display and tells the story of India's independence in two small coins. Uncirculated coins with full rigging lines and frosty luster are the most appealing.
George VI Bluenose dimes (1937 to 1952)
George VI came to the throne in December 1936 and his coins, dated 1937, brought the biggest design change in Canadian coinage since 1858. The crowns and wreaths gave way to Canadian subjects and the dime got a fishing schooner under full sail by the sculptor Emanuel Hahn. It has long been accepted as the Bluenose, the Lunenburg racing schooner launched in 1921 and his initial H appears on the reverse. The obverse shows Thomas Humphrey Paget's bare-headed portrait of the king facing left.
The coin is still 80 percent silver at about 2.33 g and 18 mm, about 0.06 troy oz of pure silver. Mintages rose quickly as the economy recovered and then during the Second World War, peaking at 21,143,229 in 1943. India became independent in 1947, which meant the king was no longer Emperor of India and the ET IND:IMP: in the legend had to go. New dies were not ready in time, so early in 1948 the mint struck coins dated 1947 with a tiny maple leaf added after the date. The corrected 1948 dime, reading GEORGIVS VI DEI GRATIA REX, had a mintage of only 422,741.
The 1948 is the key of the reign and the 1947 maple leaf is a popular variety, though it actually outnumbers the plain 1947. Other dates are common silver coins. Check the sails and the waves for wear: the fine rigging lines vanish first. Any George VI dime has silver value, so do not spend one by accident.
Mintage chart
Specifications
| Country | Canada |
|---|---|
| Denomination | 10 cents |
| Issuer | Royal Canadian Mint |
| Year | 1947 |
| Circulation mintage | 4,431,926 |
| Composition | 80% silver, 20% copper |
| Weight | 2.33 g |
| Diameter | 18.03 mm |
| Shape | Round |
| Edge | Reeded |
Other 1947 Canadian dimes
| Coin | Circulation mintage | Value band |
|---|---|---|
| 1947 Maple Leaf Canadian Dime | 9,638,793 | Metal value |
Frequently asked questions
Is the plain 1947 dime rarer than the maple leaf version?
By published mintage, yes. The plain 1947 had 4,431,926 struck, against 9,638,793 for the maple leaf coins made in 1948. Both are common, though and neither is a key date.
What does ET IND:IMP: mean on the 1947 dime?
It is short for Et Indiae Imperator, meaning and Emperor of India. The title was dropped after India became independent in 1947, so dimes from 1948 onward leave it out.
Mintage figures: Dime (Canadian coin) (Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0), compiled from Royal Canadian Mint figures. How we build these pages.