Bank of Scotland £5 note Bank of Scotland £5 note The Bank of Scotland £5 note, also known as a fiver, is a banknote of the pound sterling. It is the smallest denomination of banknote issued by the Bank of Scotland. The current polymer note, first issued in October 2016, bears the image of Walter Scott on the obverse and a vignette of the Brig o' Doon on the reverse. The polymer replaces a cotton note also featuring a portrait of Walter Scott. Paper currency was introduced in Scotland immediately following the foundation of the Bank of Scotland in 1695. Early banknotes were monochrome, and
Bank of England £20 note of England in 1943, and it was not until 1970 with the introduction of the series D notes that the denomination reappeared. The predominantly purple series D notes were two-sided, with an image of Queen Elizabeth II appearing on one side, accompanied by an image of Saint George and the Dragon (all subsequent Bank of England notes also feature an image of the Queen) and an image of William Shakespeare appearing on the other. This note also had a security feature in the form of a 'windowed' metal thread. The thread is woven into the paper so that it forms