Right guys, I don't know if you've already seen the new £5 note that's coming out next week, but it's got Winston Churchill on it. And to be honest, the first time you see it being pulled out of water unharmed, you'll probably think the entire thing's a riddle wrapped in a mystery inside an enigma.
But there's a simple reason that it's waterproof: it's made from polymer, a special waterproof material.
Advert
This video from the Bank of England introduces the note in all its splendour.
Credit: Bank of England
The note will launch on September 13 and by May next year it will have replaced the current note bearing social reformer Elizabeth Fry.
Advert
Image credit: PA Images
Although the new design has already been revealed, curators at the Bank of England Museum today launched it in the museum's bank note gallery.
The Bank of England says that the new fiver is stronger, cleaner and safer than the old note.
They are harder to counterfeit due to a see-through window and a gold and silver foil. And the polymer material means the new notes are more durable, waterproof and can be recycled when they reach the end of their shelf-life.
Advert
This comes just after Australia brought out a pretty cool $5 note recently.
The bank note gallery opens on September 7 at the Bank of England Museum.
Do you want all our notes to be made out of polymer, and who do you want on them? Jane Austen is replacing Charles Darwin on the tenner next year, but who should replace Adam Smith on the £20 note?
I'm saying Craig Charles.
Advert
Featured image credit: PA Images
Topics: fiver