2001 P Canadian Dime
The 2001 P Canadian Dime is a Canadian dime struck for circulation with 266 million made. Value band: face value. Here is how to recognize it, what makes one worth more and what to check on yours.
- Year
- 2001
- Circulation mintage
- 266,000,000
- Value band
- Face value
- Composition
- Nickel-plated steel
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 2001 P Canadian Dime worth?
With 266 million made, the 2001 P 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 2001 P Canadian Dime rare?
- No. 266 million were made, so circulated examples are worth face value.
- How many 2001 P Canadian dimes were made?
- 266,000,000 were struck for circulation.
- What is the 2001 P Canadian Dime made of?
- Nickel-plated steel. It weighs 1.75 g and measures 18.03 mm.
- Is the 2001 P Canadian Dime still legal tender?
- Yes. Canadian dimes are legal tender.
The 2001 dime in context
The 2001-P dime marks the switch from nickel to plated steel. Nickel prices had risen and the Royal Canadian Mint had developed a process for plating steel blanks with thin layers of copper and nickel, which made coins cheaper to produce while keeping the familiar white look. The P on the obverse shows that the coin is plated. The mint struck 266,000,000 regular 2001-P dimes, plus 224,714,000 with a special design for volunteers.
Together those two figures made 2001 the biggest year for the dime to that point, as the new plated coins went out in large numbers. Plated steel has been the standard for the dime ever since. The coin is lighter than the nickel version, at 1.75 g, but the size did not change. For collectors, the 2001-P is the first year of the plated steel type with the de Pédery-Hunt portrait. It is common and still turns up in change, but it is a useful coin for a type set that shows how Canada's dime has changed over the years.
How to recognize it
Dora de Pédery-Hunt's crowned portrait of the queen faces right, with ELIZABETH II D·G·REGINA and a small P below the portrait for plated. The reverse is Hahn's schooner with CANADA, 10 CENTS and 2001. The coin is multi-ply plated steel at 1.75 g and 18 mm with a reeded edge. Like the nickel dime before it, it is attracted to a magnet, so a magnet will not separate the two. The P is the key detail. A 2001 dime with the schooner and a P is this coin; one with the volunteer design is the commemorative version. It was struck at the Royal Canadian Mint's Winnipeg facility, home of circulation coinage since the 1970s.
2001 P Canadian Dime by the numbers
Measured by how many were made, the 2001 P Canadian Dime ranks 151st lowest of 157 Canadian dime dates and varieties from 1858 to 2024. The next scarcer is the 1999 Canadian Dime (258.5 million); the next more common is the 2011 Canadian Dime (292.3 million).
For scale, the most common is the 2008 Canadian Dime with 467.5 million, about 1.8 times as many. The scarcest is the 1884 Canadian Dime with 150,000, 1773 times fewer than this one.
Compared with the dates around it, the 2001 output was 1.7 times the 2000 figure and about the same as 2002. Other 2001 dimes: 2001 P Year of the Volunteer Canadian Dime (224.7 million).
Over the 2000s the Mint produced 2.94 billion dimes across 11 dates and varieties; the 2001 P Canadian Dime accounts for 9.0% of that.
What to check on your 2001 P Canadian Dime
- Try a magnet. Nickel-plated steel is magnetic, so a genuine 2001 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.
The 2001-P regular dime is a face value coin in circulated condition, with only a small premium for uncirculated coins from mint sets. It is worth keeping one in good condition as the first plated steel dime of the type. When sorting, check the obverse for the P and the reverse for the design. Bright coins from original rolls are the best examples. Avoid cleaning plated coins, as it can damage the surface. Keep it with a 2000 nickel dime to show the change.
Dora de Pédery-Hunt dimes (1990 to 2002)
In 1990 the Machin portrait gave way to one by Dora de Pédery-Hunt, the first Canadian artist to design the royal portrait on Canada's coins. She shows the queen wearing a crown, facing right, with ELIZABETH II D·G·REGINA. Hahn's Bluenose carried on unchanged on the reverse. Mintages swung widely through the decade, from 50,397,000 in 1991 to 258,462,000 in 1999, as demand rose and fell.
Nickel had become expensive and in the early 2000s the Royal Canadian Mint switched the dime to a cheaper multi-ply plated steel: a steel core with thin layers of plating that keep the familiar white look. The plated dime weighs 1.75 g, lighter than the 2.07 g nickel coin, at the same 18 mm. To tell the two apart the mint added a small P below the queen's portrait, for plated. The 2001 dimes also include a special design for the International Year of Volunteers, the first circulating commemorative dime since the 1967 mackerel.
Most dates here are face value coins, though 1996 and 1997, both under 52 million, are the scarcer ones in uncirculated condition. A magnet will not help with these, since nickel and plated steel are both attracted to it. Look for the P instead and on a 2001 check the reverse to see whether you have the schooner or the Volunteer design. Bright coins from mint sets are the ones worth keeping.
Mintage chart
Specifications
| Country | Canada |
|---|---|
| Denomination | 10 cents |
| Issuer | Royal Canadian Mint |
| Year | 2001 |
| Circulation mintage | 266,000,000 |
| Composition | Nickel-plated steel |
| Weight | 1.75 g |
| Diameter | 18.03 mm |
| Shape | Round |
| Edge | Reeded |
Other 2001 Canadian dimes
| Coin | Circulation mintage | Value band |
|---|---|---|
| 2001 P Year of the Volunteer Canadian Dime | 224,714,000 | Face value |
Frequently asked questions
What does the P on a 2001 Canadian dime mean?
It stands for plated. From 2001 the mint struck dimes from steel plated with copper and nickel and the P under the queen's portrait marked the new composition. It was used until 2006.
Why does the 2001-P dime weigh less than older dimes?
Plated steel is lighter than solid nickel. The 2001-P dime weighs 1.75 g, against 2.07 g for the nickel dimes struck from 1968 to 2000. The size stayed the same at about 18 mm.
Mintage figures: Dime (Canadian coin) (Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0), compiled from Royal Canadian Mint figures. How we build these pages.