Dime (Canadian Coin)
In Canada a dime is a coin worth ten cents. It is the smallest (in physical size) of the currently issued Canadian coins. According to the Royal Canadian Mint, the official national term of the coin is the 10 cent piece, but in practice the term dime is universal 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 a distinct metal composition: from 1968-99 it was composed entirely of nickel, and since 2000 it has had a high steel content.
Currently the dime has, as with all Canadian coins, a portrait of Her Majesty the Queen on the obverse. The reverse contains a representation of the Bluenose, a famous Canadian schooner. The artist, Emmanuel Hahn, used three ships including the Bluenose as his models, so the ship design is actually a composite.
The word "dime" comes from the French word "dîme", meaning "tithe" or "tenth part," from the Latin decima .
Read more about Dime (Canadian Coin): History of Composition, Commemorative Editions, Other Notable Dates, First Strikes
Famous quotes containing the word dime:
“The whole value of the dime is in knowing what to do with it.”
—Ralph Waldo Emerson (18031882)