2017 150th Anniversary Canadian Dime
The 2017 150th Anniversary Canadian Dime is a Canadian dime struck for circulation with 20 million made. Value band: face value. Here is how to recognize it, what makes one worth more and what to check on yours.
- Year
- 2017
- Circulation mintage
- 20,000,000
- 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 2017 150th Anniversary Canadian Dime worth?
With 20 million made, the 2017 150th Anniversary 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 2017 150th Anniversary Canadian Dime rare?
- No. 20 million were made, so circulated examples are worth face value.
- How many 2017 150th Anniversary Canadian dimes were made?
- 20,000,000 were struck for circulation.
- What is the 2017 150th Anniversary Canadian Dime made of?
- Nickel-plated steel. It weighs 1.75 g and measures 18.03 mm.
- Is the 2017 150th Anniversary Canadian Dime still legal tender?
- Yes. Canadian dimes are legal tender.
The 2017 dime in context
Canada marked the 150th anniversary of Confederation in 2017 with a set of special circulating coins and the dime was one of them. The designs were chosen through a national public contest: Canadians submitted ideas and then voted for the winners from a shortlist. The Royal Canadian Mint struck 20,000,000 Canada 150 dimes, a tenth of the 199,925,000 regular schooner dimes dated 2017. Like the 1967 centennial dime, it carries two dates: 1867 and 2017.
It was only the third time a commemorative design had replaced the Bluenose on a circulating dime, after the 1967 mackerel and the 2001 Volunteer coin. The lower mintage makes it the scarcest of the 2017 circulating dimes and the one most people set aside when they spot it. The anniversary year brought celebrations across the country and the special coins were popular souvenirs. Because so many were saved, plenty remain in good condition. Still, with only a tenth as many struck as the regular coin, the Canada 150 dime is a little harder to find in change than you might expect.
How to recognize it
The obverse carries Susanna Blunt's uncrowned portrait of the queen facing right, with ELIZABETH II D·G·REGINA. The reverse replaces the schooner with Amy Choi's winning contest design, Wings of Peace, in which a maple leaf forms the wings and tail of a dove, along with the dates 1867 and 2017. Its plated steel construction gives a weight of 1.75 g at 18 mm and it is magnetic. The quickest check is the reverse: if a 2017 dime has no schooner and carries both dates, it is the Canada 150 version. The regular 2017 dime has the Bluenose and a single date. Production took place at the Royal Canadian Mint in Winnipeg. Only 20,000,000 dimes carry this special reverse.
2017 150th Anniversary Canadian Dime by the numbers
By the numbers, the 2017 150th Anniversary Canadian Dime ranks 87th lowest of 157 Canadian dime dates and varieties from 1858 to 2024. The next scarcer is the 1959 Canadian Dime (19.7 million); the next more common is the 1943 Canadian Dime (21.1 million).
For scale, the most common is the 2008 Canadian Dime with 467.5 million, about 23 times as many. The scarcest is the 1884 Canadian Dime with 150,000, 133 times fewer than this one.
Compared with the dates around it, the 2017 output was 11 times fewer than 2016 and 5.9 times fewer than 2018. Other 2017 dimes: 2017 Canadian Dime (199.9 million).
Over the 2010s the Mint produced 1.97 billion dimes across 11 dates and varieties; the 2017 150th Anniversary Canadian Dime accounts for 1.0% of that.
What to check on your 2017 150th Anniversary Canadian Dime
- Try a magnet. Nickel-plated steel is magnetic, so a genuine 2017 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 2017 Canada 150 dime is a face value coin in circulated condition, with a small premium for uncirculated examples. It is popular as a souvenir and one of the few modern dimes worth looking for in change. Keep it with the other Canada 150 circulating coins as a set. Bright, unworn coins from rolls or sets are the most attractive and make the design easier to enjoy. Many people put one aside in 2017, so check old jars and souvenir folders before hunting in change.
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 | 2017 |
| Circulation mintage | 20,000,000 |
| Composition | Nickel-plated steel |
| Weight | 1.75 g |
| Diameter | 18.03 mm |
| Shape | Round |
| Edge | Reeded |
Other 2017 Canadian dimes
| Coin | Circulation mintage | Value band |
|---|---|---|
| 2017 Canadian Dime | 199,925,000 | Face value |
Frequently asked questions
How many Canada 150 dimes were made?
The published mintage is 20,000,000, about a tenth of the 199,925,000 regular 2017 dimes. That makes it the scarcer 2017 dime, though it is still common enough to find in change.
Why do some 2017 dimes also say 1867?
It is the Canada 150 commemorative dime, marking 150 years since Confederation in 1867. It carries both dates, just as the 1967 centennial dime did a half century earlier. Both coins honor Confederation.
Mintage figures: Dime (Canadian coin) (Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0), compiled from Royal Canadian Mint figures. How we build these pages.