Obverse. Photo © NumisCorner.com
  • 10 Cents 1969-1989, KM# 77, Canada, Elizabeth II
  • 10 Cents 1969-1989, KM# 77, Canada, Elizabeth II
  • 10 Cents 1969-1989, KM# 77, Canada, Elizabeth II, 1969 Reverse Varieties: small date (left) vs large date (right)
  • 10 Cents 1969-1989, KM# 77, Canada, Elizabeth II, 1980 Reverse Varieties: narrow 0 (top) vs wide 0 (bottom)
Description

In Canada, a dime is a coin worth ten cents. It has been the physically smallest Canadian coin since 1922, smaller even than the penny despite its higher face value. According to the Royal Canadian Mint, the official national term of the coin is the 10-cent piece, but in practice, the term dime predominates in English-speaking Canada. It is nearly identical in size to the American dime, but unlike its counterpart, the Canadian dime is magnetic due to distinct metal composition.

The word dime comes from the French word dîme, meaning "tithe" or "tenth part", from the Latin decima [pars].

1969 Large Date: Fewer than 20 examples of the large date variety exist. High-grade versions of this coin sell for $15,000 to $30,000.

Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary; 1926–2022) was Queen of the United Kingdom and of 14 other Commonwealth realms. Her reign of 70 years and seven months, which began on 6 February 1952, was the longest of any British monarch in history.

When her father died in February 1952, Elizabeth—then 25 years old—became queen regnant of seven independent Commonwealth countries: the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, Pakistan, and Ceylon (Sri Lanka), as well as Head of the Commonwealth. Elizabeth reigned as a constitutional monarch through major political changes such as the Troubles in Northern Ireland, devolution in the United Kingdom, the decolonisation of Africa, and the United Kingdom's accession to the European Communities and withdrawal from the European Union. The number of her realms varied over time as territories have gained independence and some realms have become republics.

Times of personal significance have included the births and marriages of her children, grandchildren, and great grandchildren, her coronation in 1953 and the celebrations of her Silver, Golden, Diamond, and Platinum jubilees in 1977, 2002, 2012, and 2022, respectively.

Obverse

Second crowned portrait of HM Queen Elizabeth II facing right, wearing the Girls of Great Britain and Ireland tiara.

In 1979 the obverse design was modified to use a smaller portrait of the Queen. The reason was to make the portrait more proportional to the coin for every denomination. The easiest way to tell a modified tiara from an original is to look at the distance between the forward point of the lower bust and the rim dots, and the distance between the forward upper jewels on the tiara and the rim dots. In addition, the rim dots are further from the edge than they are on the 1965-1978 obverse.

The Girls of Great Britain and Ireland tiara was a wedding present in 1947 from her grandmother, Queen Mary, who received it as a gift from the Girls of Great Britain and Ireland in 1893 on the occasion of her marriage to the Duke of York, later George V. Made by E. Wolfe & Co., it was purchased from Garrard & Co. by a committee organised by Lady Eve Greville. In 1914, Mary adapted the tiara to take 13 diamonds in place of the large oriental pearls surmounting the tiara. At first, Elizabeth wore the tiara without its base and pearls but the base was reattached in 1969. The Girls of Great Britain and Ireland Tiara is one of Elizabeth's most recognisable pieces of jewellery due to its widespread use on British banknotes and coinage.

ELIZABETH II DEI GRATIA REGINA means Elizabeth II, by the grace of God, Queen.

Engraver: Arnold Machin

ELIZABETH II D • G • REGINA

Reverse

Depicts the Bluenose under sail, a Canadian schooner from Nova Scotia, a celebrated racing ship and a symbol of the province, is surrounded by the facial value and the country name.

The artist used three ships including the Bluenose as his models, so the ship design is actually a composite.

Engraver: Emanuel Otto Hahn

CANADA
1980
H
10 CENTS

Edge

10 Cents

2nd portrait
KM# 77 Schön# 61b.3/61b.4
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Characteristics
Material Nickel
Weight 2.07 g
Diameter 18.034 mm
Thickness 1.19 mm
Shape round
Alignment Medal
Alt # KM# 77.1, KM# 77.2
Mint
Royal Canadian Mint (RCM)

Related coins

Silver, 2.32 g, ⌀ 18.034 mm

Silver, 2.324 g, ⌀ 18.034 mm
Without DEI GRATIA

Silver, 2.324 g, ⌀ 18.034 mm