Mintage: 1,460,389. Coins weigh 1.167 grams, with a diameter of 15.494 mm. They have a composition of .925 silver, .075 copper. These pieces was a small silver coin similar to the United States half dime. These are half the weight of the ten cent piece. The first five cent coins for the Dominion of Canada were issued in 1870 with the design being identical to that of the one used by the Province of Canada in 1858.