2003 P Crowned Canadian Dime
The 2003 P Crowned Canadian Dime is a Canadian dime struck for circulation with 162.4 million made. Value band: face value. Here is how to recognize it, what makes one worth more and what to check on yours.
- Year
- 2003
- Circulation mintage
- 162,398,000
- 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 2003 P Crowned Canadian Dime worth?
With 162.4 million made, the 2003 P Crowned 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 2003 P Crowned Canadian Dime rare?
- No. 162.4 million were made, so circulated examples are worth face value.
- How many 2003 P Crowned Canadian dimes were made?
- 162,398,000 were struck for circulation (a combined figure for the P Crowned and P Uncrowned varieties).
- What is the 2003 P Crowned Canadian Dime made of?
- Nickel-plated steel. It weighs 1.75 g and measures 18.03 mm.
- Is the 2003 P Crowned Canadian Dime still legal tender?
- Yes. Canadian dimes are legal tender.
The 2003 dime in context
In 2003 the Royal Canadian Mint introduced a new portrait of the queen and for that year dimes were struck with both the old and new designs. The crowned version carries Dora de Pédery-Hunt's portrait, which had been on Canadian coins since 1990. It was the last year of that portrait. The published mintage of 162,398,000 covers both the crowned and uncrowned dimes together, so there is no separate figure for this version.
That makes 2003 a transition year, a little like the shoulder fold change of 1953 but involving a whole new portrait. The outgoing crowned design was used first, before the new uncrowned design by Susanna Blunt took over. For collectors the 2003 crowned dime is the last of the de Pédery-Hunt dimes and one half of a natural pair. Both versions carry the P that marked plated steel. They are common and still turn up in change, but they are worth checking if you collect the changing portraits of Elizabeth II. Many people never noticed there were two.
How to recognize it
Dora de Pédery-Hunt's portrait shows the queen facing right and wearing a crown, with ELIZABETH II D·G·REGINA and a small P below the portrait. The reverse is Hahn's schooner with CANADA, 10 CENTS and 2003. Made of multi-ply plated steel, it weighs 1.75 g at 18 mm and sticks to a magnet. The quickest check is the queen's head: a crown means this version, while a bare head with no crown means the new Susanna Blunt portrait. Both have the same reverse and specifications. Like other modern circulation coins, it came from the mint's Winnipeg facility. The P sits below the bust.
2003 P Crowned Canadian Dime by the numbers
The published 162,398,000 for 2003 covers both the P Crowned and P Uncrowned varieties together, so neither can be ranked on its own. As a date, 2003 sits 129th lowest among Canadian dime dates by output.
Compared with the dates around it, the 2003 output was 1.6 times fewer than 2002 and 1.3 times fewer than 2004. Other 2003 dimes: 2003 P Uncrowned Canadian Dime.
Over the 2000s the Mint produced 2.94 billion dimes across 11 dates and varieties; the 2003 P Crowned Canadian Dime accounts for 5.5% of that.
What to check on your 2003 P Crowned Canadian Dime
- Try a magnet. Nickel-plated steel is magnetic, so a genuine 2003 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 2003 crowned dime is a face value coin in circulated condition, with a small premium for uncirculated examples. Its appeal is as the last year of the de Pédery-Hunt portrait. Keep one alongside an uncrowned 2003 to show the change. Bright coins from rolls or mint sets are the best choice. Check your 2003 dimes for the crown before spending them. Since the published figure covers both versions, nobody can say for certain which is scarcer, so collectors simply aim to own both.
Susanna Blunt plated steel dimes (2003 to 2022)
In 2003 the mint introduced a new portrait of Elizabeth II by Susanna Blunt, showing the queen without a crown. Both portraits were used that year, so the 2003 dime exists crowned and uncrowned. The P for plated stayed under the portrait until partway through 2006, when the mint's own logo took its place. The dime itself is multi-ply plated steel at 1.75 g and 18 mm, with a reeded edge and Hahn's Bluenose is still on the reverse.
With the cent no longer distributed from 2013 and cash use slowly falling, dime mintages wobbled from year to year. The record is 467,495,000 in 2008, while 2013 dropped to 104,775,000. Two circulating commemoratives broke the run of schooners. In 2017 Canada 150 dimes, 20,000,000 of them, carried a winning design from a public contest and the dates 1867 and 2017. In 2021 the mint marked a century since the Bluenose was launched with a dime carrying the dates 1921 and 2021.
Every date in this period is common and almost all are face value coins. The 2017 Canada 150 dime is the one most people set aside, being far scarcer than the regular 2017. Check 2021 dimes for the angled Bluenose commemorative and 2003 coins for the crowned or uncrowned queen. Unworn coins from mint rolls or sets are the ones to keep if you are building a collection.
Mintage chart
Specifications
| Country | Canada |
|---|---|
| Denomination | 10 cents |
| Issuer | Royal Canadian Mint |
| Year | 2003 |
| Circulation mintage | 162,398,000 (with the P Uncrowned variety) |
| Composition | Nickel-plated steel |
| Weight | 1.75 g |
| Diameter | 18.03 mm |
| Shape | Round |
| Edge | Reeded |
Other 2003 Canadian dimes
| Coin | Circulation mintage | Value band |
|---|---|---|
| 2003 P Uncrowned Canadian Dime | 162,398,000 | Face value |
Frequently asked questions
Why are there two kinds of 2003 Canadian dime?
A new portrait of the queen by Susanna Blunt was introduced in 2003. Dimes were struck with both the old crowned portrait by Dora de Pédery-Hunt and the new uncrowned one during that year.
How many 2003 crowned dimes were struck?
The data gives no separate figure. The 162,398,000 total for 2003 covers both the crowned and uncrowned versions, so the split between them is not recorded in the data. Both versions are common.
Mintage figures: Dime (Canadian coin) (Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0), compiled from Royal Canadian Mint figures. How we build these pages.