1969 Canadian Dime
The 1969 Canadian Dime is a Canadian dime struck for circulation with 55.8 million made. Value band: face value. Here is how to recognize it, what makes one worth more and what to check on yours.
- Year
- 1969
- Circulation mintage
- 55,833,929
- Value band
- Face value
- Composition
- Nickel (99.9%)
Original illustration of the coin's shape and metal. Tap to flip. Not a picture of the actual design.
Face value · Small premium · Collector premium · Significant rarity. We use bands because prices change daily.
What is a 1969 Canadian Dime worth?
With 55.8 million made, the 1969 Canadian Dime is common and worth face value in circulated condition. Only uncirculated coins with full luster, recognized varieties and genuine errors interest collectors.
What would make yours worth more:
- Full uncirculated luster
- A recognized variety or genuine error
- Coins from a specimen or proof set
For market prices, look at recent sold results for the same coin in the same condition, not asking prices.
Quick answers
- Is the 1969 Canadian Dime rare?
- No. 55.8 million were made, so circulated examples are worth face value.
- How many 1969 Canadian dimes were made?
- 55,833,929 were struck for circulation.
- What is the 1969 Canadian Dime made of?
- Nickel (99.9%). It weighs 2.07 g and measures 18.03 mm.
- Is the 1969 Canadian Dime still legal tender?
- Yes. Canadian dimes are legal tender.
The 1969 dime in context
The 1969 is the first year of the redesigned nickel dime. For 1969 the schooner on the reverse was re-engraved as a smaller ship and that version would remain on the dime for decades. The Royal Canadian Mint struck 55,833,929 dimes dated 1969, all in pure nickel. That is a big total, though less than a third of the combined 1968 nickel output of Ottawa and Philadelphia.
Most 1969 dimes are ordinary, but the year has one famous rarity. A small number were struck with the older large ship design and a larger date and the 1969 large date is one of the most valuable modern Canadian coins. Only a small number are known and they are not counted separately in the mintage. It is the reason collectors look twice at any 1969 dime, even though almost every one they find will be the regular small date. The regular coin marks the start of a long, steady period for the dime, with the same metal and design used until the portrait changed in 1990.
How to recognize it
Machin's portrait of the queen wearing a tiara faces right with ELIZABETH II D·G·REGINA. The reverse shows the schooner in its new smaller form, with CANADA, 10 CENTS and 1969. The coin is pure nickel at 2.07 g and 18 mm with a reeded edge and it is attracted to a magnet. On the rare large date variety the date and ship are noticeably bigger, matching the style of the 1968 dime. Comparing your 1969 with a 1968 and a 1970 side by side is the quickest way to see whether the date and ship match the old or new design.
1969 Canadian Dime by the numbers
By the numbers, the 1969 Canadian Dime ranks 100th lowest of 157 Canadian dime dates and varieties from 1858 to 2024. The next scarcer is the 1996 Canadian Dime (51.8 million); the next more common is the 1965 Canadian Dime (57 million).
For scale, the most common is the 2008 Canadian Dime with 467.5 million, about 8.4 times as many. The scarcest is the 1884 Canadian Dime with 150,000, 372 times fewer than this one.
Compared with the dates around it, the 1969 output was 1.5 times fewer than 1968 and 11 times the 1970 figure.
Over the 1960s the Mint produced 659 million dimes across 12 dates and varieties; the 1969 Canadian Dime accounts for 8.5% of that.
What to check on your 1969 Canadian Dime
- Try a magnet. Nickel (99.9%) is magnetic, so a genuine 1969 coin sticks; a silver one would not.
- Never clean it. Rubbing or polishing leaves fine scratches and an unnatural shine that collectors avoid.
- Look for full luster and no scratches. Modern dimes only interest collectors in uncirculated condition or with a recognized variety.
A regular 1969 dime is a face value coin in circulated condition, with a small premium for uncirculated examples. Its interest is as the first of the redesigned schooner dimes. If your 1969 has a large date and a larger ship like a 1968, have it examined by a specialist or grading service. The genuine large date is a significant rarity, so authentication is essential. Check the size of the date first, then the size of the ship, before getting your hopes up. Fakes made by altering other dates are possible, which is another reason to seek an expert opinion.
Nickel Bluenose dimes (1969 to 1989)
From 1969 the dime settled into its long nickel era. The coin is pure nickel, weighing 2.07 g at the same 18 mm diameter, with a reeded edge. Machin's portrait of the queen wearing a tiara stayed on the obverse with ELIZABETH II D·G·REGINA. In 1969 the Bluenose on the reverse was re-engraved as a smaller ship, the version that would carry on for decades. Nickel was hard wearing, white like silver and mined in large quantities in Canada, so it was a natural replacement.
Mintages show how much the economy depended on small change. After a big 1969 there was a sudden dip to 5,249,296 in 1970, then production climbed to 167,715,435 in 1973 and passed 200 million in 1974 and 1975. The 1979 total of 237,321,321 was the highest of the reign so far. Through the 1980s output stayed between about 93 and 200 million a year, with 1982 the low point at 93,475,000.
Apart from 1970 these are face value coins and they still turn up in change. A magnet confirms the metal: every nickel dime is attracted to it. Look for bright, unworn coins from rolls or mint sets if you are building a date run, since circulated nickel dimes tend to look dull and scratched. The 1969 also has a rare large date variety struck from the older, larger design, so a 1969 with a noticeably big date deserves a closer look.
Mintage chart
Specifications
| Country | Canada |
|---|---|
| Denomination | 10 cents |
| Issuer | Royal Canadian Mint |
| Year | 1969 |
| Circulation mintage | 55,833,929 |
| Composition | Nickel (99.9%) |
| Weight | 2.07 g |
| Diameter | 18.03 mm |
| Shape | Round |
| Edge | Reeded |
Frequently asked questions
What is the 1969 large date dime?
A rare variety struck with the older, larger ship design and a larger date, instead of the new smaller design used for regular 1969 dimes. Only a small number are known and it is a significant rarity. It is worth checking every 1969 you find.
Is an ordinary 1969 dime worth anything?
A regular small date 1969 dime is worth face value in circulated condition. With 55,833,929 struck, it is common. Only the rare large date variety carries a large collector premium.
Mintage figures: Dime (Canadian coin) (Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0), compiled from Royal Canadian Mint figures. How we build these pages.