concept

Altyn / kopeck small coinage

kopeck coins

also: pyatialtynny, fifteen-kopeck piece

Small pre-revolutionary Russian coin denominations reckoned in altyns (three kopecks each); a \emph{pyatialtynny} ("five-altyn piece") was worth fifteen kopecks, a modest cab fare.

Reading notes

Vanka §23 fifteen-kopeck piece
A \emph{pyatialtynny}, a coin worth fifteen kopecks (five \emph{altyns}); a modest cab fare, which the cabby immediately judges too small a tip for the ride and the story he told.