How Many Dimes Are In a Roll In Canada? 30, 50, or 100?

The Canadian dime has changed a lot since its inception back in 1858. Did you know it wasn’t even the smallest coin until 1922?

Through monarch changes and variations in its composition, the dime still stands as one of Canada’s integral pieces of currency.

While it is necessary to fetch a dime from your purse or pocket from time to time, it’s also a hassle to carry around a load of change. Luckily, you can roll that change up, take it to your bank, and deposit those excess savings into your account.

If you have never wrapped coins or just haven’t done it in a while, you need to know how many dimes are in a single roll. Let’s find out the answer to the question and other interesting facts about the 10-cent piece. 

How Many Dimes Are In a Roll in Canada?

There are 50 dimes in a roll in Canada, each worth $0.10 for a total of $5.00. Each roll is usually wrapped in a paper coin wrapper, with each denomination designated a different colour.

The common coin wrapper colour denominations are as follows:

Canadian dollar

Most banks require that customers bring their change rolled in coin wrappers in order to deposit it, but some may opt for loose change if they already have a change machine.

With Canada phasing out the penny in 2012, it seems there may be some changes in the future for coins – but is the public ready? Recently, a Montreal man claimed his bank would not accept his nearly $800 of rolled coins – a new policy from his bank.

While this is a rare circumstance, it highlights how businesses and money, especially coins, are changing worldwide. With more banks phasing out tellers and branch locations, is the next move phasing out coins altogether?

It may happen in the future, but for now, coins are still a part of daily life and knowing how to properly keep and exchange them is beneficial for your bottom line.   

Is A Roll of Dimes $5?

Yes, 50 dimes in a roll equal $5.

The Materials That Make Up The Dime

From the time it was first introduced in 1858, all the way up until 1968, the dime was composed of different percentages of silver and copper. From 1968 until 1999, the dime’s makeup was of pure nickel. In 2000, the composition changed to include a steel core with nickel and copper plating.

Other features of the dime include:

  • Mass – 1.75g
  • Diameter – 18.03mm
  • Thickness – 1.22mm

Moving On From Silver

Back in Canada’s early days, the dime, quarter, and even the nickel were made from silver. The composition changed to nickel for most around the 1960s, and today, most coins are made up of steel with copper and nickel plating. But what caused the change? Why was silver discarded and replaced with nickel?

Dimes Composition

The chart above gives a clue as to what happened. Back in 1920, the composition changed from 92.5% silver to 80% silver. That drop was due in part to World War I. Silver prices throughout the war doubled – $.50/ounce to $1/ounce, causing the Mint to drop the percentage of silver in their coin composition.

Although silver prices dropped again during the Great Depression, the composition of the dime remained unchanged until 1968, when silver prices continued to climb back up.

At this point, the Canadian Mint prohibited minting circulating coins made from silver. The dime’s composition changed to nickel with other coins using the same material or a copper/nickel combination.

Commemorative Dimes

Throughout the years, the Royal Canadian Mint issued special coins to celebrate significant persons, important events, and anniversaries. The dime has had four commemorative additions throughout its history.

  • 1967 Canadian Centennial – To honour the centennial of the Canadian confederation, a series of commemorative coins were issued. The dime features Queen Elizabeth II on the obverse side with a mackerel fish on the reverse. Inscribed below the mackerel are the dates 1867-1967.  
  • 2001 International Year of the Volunteer – The 2001 commemoration aimed to provide recognition to the countless volunteers that devote their time and talents to serving others. The obverse side of the dime featured a portrait of 64-year-old Queen Elizabeth II. The reverse side shows the sun’s rays keeping alight the marching mothers, a tribute that symbolizes how volunteers enlighten the community and the people they help. The phrase “Year of the Volunteer” runs through the center of the coin in both English and French.
  • Canada 150 – To honour the 150th anniversary of the Confederation of Canada in 2017, the Mint issued a series of commemorative coins. The obverse side features a portrait of Queen Elizabeth II with the Canada 150 logo. The reverse side shows an iconic Canadian maple leaf in the mouth of a dove.
  • 100th anniversary of Bluenose – See the section below for more information about the updated Bluenose dime redesign.

An Updated Dime

Bluenose was a famous racing and fishing schooner built back in 1921. She was designed to compete with and beat American vessels. The drive for a successful schooner inspired her design after Canada lost an international race the year before.

After her production, Bluenose captured the International Fisherman’s Cup, bringing it back home to Canada. Throughout 20 years of racing, she stayed undefeated and became a beloved symbol to the Canadian people.

When it was time for the dime’s redesign in 1937, artist Emanuel Hahn used a photo of the famous Bluenose to replicate her likeness on the reverse side of the dime.

In October 2021, The Royal Canadian Mint announced its planned redesign of the famous image. The new designs were issued to celebrate Bluenose’s 100th anniversary. 

Local Nova Scotia marine artist Yves Bérubé updated the design, which includes for the first time ever, colour on a Canadian coin. While still featuring Bluenose, the waters of the North Atlantic come to life with a striking blue colour on the bottom of the coin.

President of the Royal Canadian Mint, Mary Lemay had this to say about the redesign. “Today, we are thrilled to commemorate the 100th anniversary of Bluenose with a new design that will circulate from coast to coast to coast as we reaffirm our pride in an enduring icon of Canadian know-how and innovation.”

Canadian dollar 10 cents

Coin Collecting In Canada

Many people find it exhilarating to go through their change and collect coins. It is a hobby that’s tedious and time-consuming, but if it’s something that interests you, it certainly won’t feel that way.

While old coins might be worth a bit over their fair value, you are probably not going to get rich from your collection. Collectors often look for coins made out of silver and with limited circulation – those coins are usually worth more than their counterparts.

Canadian dollar mint mark

From this above list of minted dimes, you can see that there were only 500,000 dimes minted in 1903, making it a rare find and more valuable than other more common coins.

There are many YouTube videos that detail which coins are valuable and why, but there are two Canadian dimes you NEED to be on the lookout for.

The large date 1969 Canadian dime is one of the rarest and most valuable dimes collectors continue to look out for. Depending on its condition and if it were in circulation or not, this dime’s value is anywhere from $12,000 to $25,000.

Another extremely rare coin is the 1936 “dot” dime. After King George V died in 1936, preparations started to feature the new King Edward VIII’s image on the obverse side.

His abdication later that year caused a delay in production and fears of a coin shortage. Consequently, almost 200,000 dimes with a raised dot on the reverse went into production with the 1936 date and the old King George V’s image on the obverse.

There are currently only a handful of these coins known to exist, and it is believed that most of them were melted down and not circulated. 

Conclusion

How Many Dimes Are In A Roll

There are 50 dimes in a roll, totaling $5. Saving up your coins and wrapping them is a great way to earn a bit of extra cash.

Once you are ready, take them to your bank and deposit them into your account. If you are looking for an account that yields a high-interest rate, check out these top savings accounts.

Here’s a master list of how many coins are in a roll for the nickel, dime, quarter, loonie and toonie.

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Author Bio - Christopher Liew is a CFA Charterholder with 11 years of finance experience and the creator of Wealthawesome.com. Read about how he quit his 6-figure salary career to travel the world here.

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