Such coins were first minted in England in silver in the 13th century. They were used until 1707, when the Kingdom of England merged into the new United Kingdom of Great Britain. Early farthings were silver. The farthing was small (only 10 millimeters in diameter) and very light (slightly more than 0.4 gram). Surviving examples are rare. The first copper farthings were issued during the reign of King James I. In the late 17th century the English farthing was also minted in tin. 