1920 Canadian Dime
The 1920 Canadian Dime is a Canadian dime struck for circulation with 6.31 million made. Value band: metal value. Here is how to recognize it, what makes one worth more and what to check on yours.
- Year
- 1920
- Circulation mintage
- 6,305,345
- 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 1920 Canadian Dime worth?
The 1920 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 6.31 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 1920 Canadian Dime rare?
- Not by mintage. 6.31 million were made, but it is silver, so even worn examples are worth their metal value rather than face value.
- How many 1920 Canadian dimes were made?
- 6,305,345 were struck for circulation.
- What is the 1920 Canadian Dime made of?
- 80% silver, 20% copper. It weighs 2.33 g and measures 18.03 mm.
- Is the 1920 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 1920 dime in context
The 1920 dime looks just like the 1919, but it is made of different metal. Silver prices had climbed sharply during and after the First World War and in 1920 Canada lowered the fineness of its silver coins from 92.5 to 80 percent. The weight stayed the same at about 2.33 g, so the coin simply contains less silver, roughly 0.06 troy oz. The Ottawa mint struck 6,305,345 dimes that year.
That was the second highest dime mintage of the reign, behind only 1919, as wartime demand for change carried over into the early postwar months. It did not last. A sharp recession followed and the mint struck only 2,469,562 dimes in 1921 and then none at all until 1928. The 1920 therefore marks both a change of standard and the end of an era of high production. For collectors it is the first year of the 80 percent silver dime, a standard that would last until 1967. Nothing on the coin says so, which is why knowing the date matters.
How to recognize it
Its design was unchanged. Mackennal's crowned and robed bust of George V faces left, with GEORGIVS V DEI GRA: REX ET IND: IMP: and the reverse has 10 CENTS and 1920 inside a crowned maple wreath. The coin is 80 percent silver at about 2.33 g and 18 mm, with a reeded edge. There is no visible difference from a sterling 1919, since both coins have the same size, weight and appearance. Only the date tells you which silver standard you have. A worn 1920 can be confused with 1929, so check the third digit. The coin was struck at Ottawa and has no mint mark.
1920 Canadian Dime by the numbers
Measured by how many were made, the 1920 Canadian Dime ranks 67th lowest of 157 Canadian dime dates and varieties from 1858 to 2024. The next scarcer is the 1946 Canadian Dime (6.3 million); the next more common is the 1919 Canadian Dime (7.88 million).
For scale, the most common is the 2008 Canadian Dime with 467.5 million, about 74 times as many. The scarcest is the 1884 Canadian Dime with 150,000, 42 times fewer than this one.
Compared with the dates around it, the 1920 output was 1.2 times fewer than 1919 and 2.6 times the 1921 figure.
Over the 1920s the Mint produced 14.5 million dimes across 4 dates and varieties; the 1920 Canadian Dime accounts for 44% of that.
What to check on your 1920 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 1920 is a common George V date. Worn examples trade close to their silver value, with a small premium for age, while uncirculated coins carry a collector premium. Its main interest is historical as the first 80 percent silver dime. A type set that includes a 1919 and a 1920 shows the change of standard with two coins that look identical. Uncirculated 1920 dimes are less common than worn ones, since the coins were used heavily in the busy postwar months. Check the surfaces for cleaning.
George V 80% silver dimes (1920 to 1936)
Silver prices rose sharply during and after the First World War and in 1920 Canada lowered the fineness of its silver coins from 92.5 to 80 percent. The dime kept its size and weight of about 2.33 g, so the only change was less silver: roughly 0.06 troy oz per coin. Then the demand for change collapsed in the slump that followed the war. After 1921 no dimes were struck at all until 1928, a gap of six years.
The design did not change. Mackennal's crowned bust of George V faces left with GEORGIVS V DEI GRA: REX ET IND: IMP:, while the reverse has 10 CENTS and the date inside a crowned wreath of maple leaves. Production restarted in 1928 at a little under 2.5 million and then fell away as the Depression took hold, to 672,368 in 1933, 409,067 in 1934 and just 384,056 in 1935, the lowest dime mintage of the twentieth century. George V died in January 1936 but 1936 dimes still carry his portrait.
For collectors the period is about the Depression dates. The 1934 and 1935 are the ones to look for and are hard to find in better grades, with 1933 not far behind. Wear shows first on the crown and the king's ear, then on the leaf veins. A small raised dot below the wreath on a 1936 dime marks one of the rarest Canadian coins, struck in 1937 while new dies were prepared, though only a handful are known.
Mintage chart
Specifications
| Country | Canada |
|---|---|
| Denomination | 10 cents |
| Issuer | Royal Canadian Mint |
| Year | 1920 |
| Circulation mintage | 6,305,345 |
| Composition | 80% silver, 20% copper |
| Weight | 2.33 g |
| Diameter | 18.03 mm |
| Shape | Round |
| Edge | Reeded |
Frequently asked questions
Does the 1920 dime have less silver than the 1919?
Yes. In 1920 Canada reduced its silver coins from 92.5 to 80 percent silver. The weight stayed about 2.33 g, so the 1920 dime holds roughly 0.06 troy oz of silver against a little under 0.07 for the 1919.
Can you tell an 80 percent silver dime from a sterling one by looking?
No. The two look and weigh the same. The date is the only practical guide: dimes from 1858 to 1919 are sterling and dimes from 1920 to 1966 and some of 1967 are 80 percent silver.
Mintage figures: Dime (Canadian coin) (Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0), compiled from Royal Canadian Mint figures. How we build these pages.