1937 Canadian Dime
The 1937 Canadian Dime is a Canadian dime struck for circulation with 2.5 million made. Value band: metal value. Here is how to recognize it, what makes one worth more and what to check on yours.
- Year
- 1937
- Circulation mintage
- 2,500,095
- 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 1937 Canadian Dime worth?
The 1937 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 2.5 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 1937 Canadian Dime rare?
- Not by mintage. 2.5 million were made, but it is silver, so even worn examples are worth their metal value rather than face value.
- How many 1937 Canadian dimes were made?
- 2,500,095 were struck for circulation.
- What is the 1937 Canadian Dime made of?
- 80% silver, 20% copper. It weighs 2.33 g and measures 18.03 mm.
- Is the 1937 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 1937 dime in context
The 1937 dime is the first with the schooner and it marked the biggest change to Canada's coins since the 1850s. When George VI came to the throne in December 1936, the government chose to replace the old crowns and wreaths with distinctly Canadian subjects. The sculptor Emanuel Hahn designed both the schooner for the dime and the caribou for the quarter. The Ottawa mint, by then known as the Royal Canadian Mint, struck 2,500,095 dimes dated 1937.
The ship has long been accepted as the Bluenose, the Lunenburg fishing and racing schooner launched in 1921 that became a symbol of Nova Scotia and of Canadian seamanship. The government did not officially name the vessel at first, but the public made up its own mind and the name stuck. The new design proved remarkably durable. Apart from the 1967 centennial and a few commemoratives, the schooner has been on the dime ever since, through three monarchs and three different metals. A 1937 dime is therefore the first chapter of a design that Canadians still carry in their pockets today, nearly ninety years later.
How to recognize it
The obverse shows Thomas Humphrey Paget's bare-headed portrait of George VI facing left, with GEORGIVS VI D:G: REX ET IND:IMP: around it. On the reverse, the schooner sails under full canvas over the waves, with CANADA, 10 CENTS and 1937. Hahn's initial H appears on the reverse as his signature, so do not mistake it for the old Heaton mint mark. The coin is 80 percent silver, weighing about 2.33 g at 18 mm with a reeded edge, so it holds roughly 0.06 troy oz of silver. The fine rigging lines and the detail in the sails are the first things to wear away.
1937 Canadian Dime by the numbers
In mintage terms the 1937 Canadian Dime ranks 49th lowest of 157 Canadian dime dates and varieties from 1858 to 2024. The next scarcer is the 1921 Canadian Dime (2.47 million); the next more common is the 1914 Canadian Dime (2.55 million).
For scale, the most common is the 2008 Canadian Dime with 467.5 million, about 187 times as many. The scarcest is the 1884 Canadian Dime with 150,000, 17 times fewer than this one.
Compared with the dates around it, the 1937 output was about the same as 1936 and 1.7 times fewer than 1938.
Over the 1930s the Mint produced 21.2 million dimes across 10 dates and varieties; the 1937 Canadian Dime accounts for 12% of that.
What to check on your 1937 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 1937 is not a scarce date, but as the first year of the schooner design it is popular and carries a small premium over its silver value in circulated condition. Uncirculated examples with full rigging detail command a collector premium. It is the natural starting point for a George VI or Bluenose collection. Look for sharp sails and clean fields without heavy scratches. Natural toning is fine and often attractive on these coins. Specimen sets were also made for the new reign, but the coins you find in old jars are the ordinary circulation strikes.
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 | 1937 |
| Circulation mintage | 2,500,095 |
| Composition | 80% silver, 20% copper |
| Weight | 2.33 g |
| Diameter | 18.03 mm |
| Shape | Round |
| Edge | Reeded |
Frequently asked questions
Is the ship on the Canadian dime really the Bluenose?
It has long been accepted as the Bluenose, the famous Nova Scotia schooner launched in 1921. Emanuel Hahn designed the reverse for the 1937 dime and the Bluenose identification has stuck ever since.
What does the H on the back of a 1937 dime mean?
It is the initial of Emanuel Hahn, who designed the schooner. It is not a mint mark. All 1937 dimes were struck at the Royal Canadian Mint in Ottawa. Hahn signed the caribou quarter the same way.
Mintage figures: Dime (Canadian coin) (Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0), compiled from Royal Canadian Mint figures. How we build these pages.