1928 Canadian Dime
The 1928 Canadian Dime is a Canadian dime struck for circulation with 2.46 million made. Value band: metal value. Here is how to recognize it, what makes one worth more and what to check on yours.
- Year
- 1928
- Circulation mintage
- 2,458,602
- 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 1928 Canadian Dime worth?
The 1928 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 2.46 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 1928 Canadian Dime rare?
- Not by mintage. 2.46 million were made, but it is silver, so even worn examples are worth their metal value rather than face value.
- How many 1928 Canadian dimes were made?
- 2,458,602 were struck for circulation.
- What is the 1928 Canadian Dime made of?
- 80% silver, 20% copper. It weighs 2.33 g and measures 18.03 mm.
- Is the 1928 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 1928 dime in context
After six years without any new dimes, production restarted in 1928. The Ottawa mint struck 2,458,602, a figure almost identical to the 2,469,562 of 1921. The late 1920s were good years for the Canadian economy, with prices and wages rising and business strong, so the demand for change came back. The next year was bigger still, with 3,253,888 dimes dated 1929.
For collectors the 1928 has no special scarcity but it fills a natural spot in the run: the first dime struck after the gap of 1922 to 1927. The design was unchanged from 1921. A set of George V dimes therefore jumps straight from 1921 to 1928 with no dates in between and the 1928 is where that set picks up again. It would not last long. The stock market crash of 1929 and the Depression that followed cut the demand for coins again and by the mid 1930s dime mintages fell to some of the lowest levels of the century. The 1928 caught the last of the good times.
How to recognize it
Mackennal's crowned and robed bust of George V faces left with GEORGIVS V DEI GRA: REX ET IND: IMP:. The reverse shows 10 CENTS and 1928 in a crowned wreath of maple leaves. The coin is 80 percent silver at about 2.33 g and 18 mm with a reeded edge, containing roughly 0.06 troy oz of silver. It is identical in design to the 1921 dime, so the date is the only way to tell them apart. On worn coins the 2 and 8 can be hard to read, so check them with a magnifier. The lettering of the legend should be sharp and even.
1928 Canadian Dime by the numbers
In mintage terms the 1928 Canadian Dime ranks 46th lowest of 157 Canadian dime dates and varieties from 1858 to 2024. The next scarcer is the 1931 Canadian Dime (2.07 million); the next more common is the 1936 Canadian Dime (2.46 million).
For scale, the most common is the 2008 Canadian Dime with 467.5 million, about 190 times as many. The scarcest is the 1884 Canadian Dime with 150,000, 16 times fewer than this one.
Compared with the dates around it, the 1928 output was about the same as 1921 and 1.3 times fewer than 1929.
Over the 1920s the Mint produced 14.5 million dimes across 4 dates and varieties; the 1928 Canadian Dime accounts for 17% of that.
What to check on your 1928 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 1928 is a common George V date. Worn examples trade near their silver value with a small premium and uncirculated coins carry a collector premium. It is a good coin for a date set and an affordable George V silver dime. Look for crown detail and clear lettering. Toned coins with original surfaces are generally preferred to bright, cleaned ones by collectors. Uncirculated examples are harder to find than worn ones, since few people saved dimes in 1928. It is a good date to practice on before hunting for the scarcer Depression years.
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 | 1928 |
| Circulation mintage | 2,458,602 |
| Composition | 80% silver, 20% copper |
| Weight | 2.33 g |
| Diameter | 18.03 mm |
| Shape | Round |
| Edge | Reeded |
Frequently asked questions
Why do George V dime sets skip from 1921 to 1928?
No dimes were struck from 1922 to 1927. Demand for change was low after the postwar recession, so the Ottawa mint did not resume dime production until 1928. The 1928 restarts the series.
How many 1928 dimes were made?
The published mintage is 2,458,602, almost the same as 1921. It is not a scarce date and worn examples are valued mainly for their silver content. Uncirculated coins are scarcer.
Mintage figures: Dime (Canadian coin) (Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0), compiled from Royal Canadian Mint figures. How we build these pages.