The polymer PS5 note is 125mm by 65mm (the present paper note measures 135mm x 70mm) and weighs around 0.7g (the current paper note weighs around 0.9g). Therefore, the 5-pound note is about 23 inches long. The paper note was first issued in 1705 as a temporary measure to provide funding for the American war of independence from Britain. It was designed by Henry Fielding who also invented the detective novel genre that we know today. The first coin-sized notes were issued in 1868 but they weren't called 5-pound notes until 1903 when the system of currency classification was introduced by law. Before this point, the term "five pound note" had simply meant any old five pound note. In terms of weight, it is worth mentioning that one pound sterling is divided into 16 ounces. The 5-pound note contains 160 milligrams of silver which at one time was enough to make up half of every silver penny, half ducat and quarter denier in use in England. Today, it makes up less than 1% of each of these coins. The 5-pound note is longer than it is wide. It is shaped like a rectangle with rounded corners and has writing on both sides in vertical columns separated by small squares.