5 Tyin

Kazakhstan declared independence in December 1991, but the new tenge monetary system didn't launch until November 1993 — the last of the former Soviet republics to abandon the ruble. These first tyin coins were struck in anticipation of that transition, giving the National Bank enough stock to supply a country of 17 million people the moment the switch was made. The changeover happened over a single 72-hour window, with citizens exchanging rubles at controlled rates before the old currency was rendered void.