2003 P Uncrowned Canadian Dime
The 2003 P Uncrowned 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 Uncrowned Canadian Dime worth?
With 162.4 million made, the 2003 P Uncrowned 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 Uncrowned Canadian Dime rare?
- No. 162.4 million were made, so circulated examples are worth face value.
- How many 2003 P Uncrowned Canadian dimes were made?
- 162,398,000 were struck for circulation (a combined figure for the P Uncrowned and P Crowned varieties).
- What is the 2003 P Uncrowned Canadian Dime made of?
- Nickel-plated steel. It weighs 1.75 g and measures 18.03 mm.
- Is the 2003 P Uncrowned Canadian Dime still legal tender?
- Yes. Canadian dimes are legal tender.
The 2003 dime in context
The 2003 uncrowned dime introduced Susanna Blunt's portrait of the queen, the last of Elizabeth II's portraits on Canadian coins. It shows her without a crown, the first time Canadian coins had shown her that way since the laureate Gillick portrait of the 1950s. The new portrait appeared during 2003 and replaced Dora de Pédery-Hunt's crowned design. The 162,398,000 dimes dated 2003 include both versions.
Blunt's portrait would remain on Canada's dimes until the end of the reign, a run of twenty years. That makes the 2003 uncrowned the first coin of a long, familiar series that most Canadians carried in their pockets for two decades. The P for plated steel remained on the coin until partway through 2006, when the mint's logo took its place. For collectors, the uncrowned 2003 is the first year of type for the Blunt portrait and a natural partner to the crowned 2003. It is common, but it shows one of the most visible changes to the coin in the 2000s. It is worth putting one aside in nice condition.
How to recognize it
Susanna Blunt's portrait shows the queen facing right with no crown, her hair simply dressed, with ELIZABETH II D·G·REGINA around it and a small P below. The reverse carries Hahn's schooner, CANADA, 10 CENTS and the date 2003. It is struck on a multi-ply plated steel blank of 1.75 g and 18 mm, which is attracted to a magnet. Compare the portrait with the crowned 2003 dime: the absence of a crown is obvious once you see the two together. The design is otherwise identical. The Winnipeg facility of the Royal Canadian Mint struck it, as it does all circulation coins. The P sits below the portrait.
2003 P Uncrowned Canadian Dime by the numbers
The published 162,398,000 for 2003 covers both the P Uncrowned and P Crowned 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 Crowned Canadian Dime.
Over the 2000s the Mint produced 2.94 billion dimes across 11 dates and varieties; the 2003 P Uncrowned Canadian Dime accounts for 5.5% of that.
What to check on your 2003 P Uncrowned 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 uncrowned dime is a face value coin in circulated condition, with a small premium for uncirculated coins. It is the first year of the Blunt portrait and pairs well with the crowned 2003. Bright coins from rolls or sets are the best way to show the new portrait clearly. Since the two versions were struck together in large numbers, both are easy to find with a little patience. Label each holder so the varieties are never mixed up. Note which portrait each coin shows.
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 Crowned 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 Crowned Canadian Dime | 162,398,000 | Face value |
Frequently asked questions
Who designed the uncrowned portrait on the 2003 dime?
Susanna Blunt. Her portrait of the queen without a crown was introduced in 2003 and stayed on Canadian dimes until the end of Elizabeth II's reign, replacing Dora de Pédery-Hunt's crowned portrait.
Is the uncrowned 2003 dime scarcer than the crowned one?
No separate mintage is published, since the 162,398,000 total covers both versions. Both are common and worth face value in circulated condition, so the choice between them is a matter of collecting interest.
Mintage figures: Dime (Canadian coin) (Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0), compiled from Royal Canadian Mint figures. How we build these pages.