(FORTUNE Magazine) – Trying to figure out what to do with that 1911 Black Sea/Kuban railway bond Grandpa left you? Tired of using Imperial Chinese government certificates for wallpaper? Take heart, but not much, from the settlement of a 68-year-old dispute between the Soviet Union and Britain. When the Bolsheviks repudiated debt obligations guaranteed by the czar, the British government countered by snatching Russian assets. The new agreement essentially calls the whole thing even. British citizens with claims of any kind -- including owners of czarist bonds with a face value of $75 million -- will get some $70 million. Don't snap up this offer. According to the Stock Market Information Service, a Montreal firm, a $150 bond will be worth about $15 under the Soviet agreement but might bring $18 as a collectible. Why did the Russians settle? One reason: The collapse in oil prices has devastated hard-currency earnings, which help to pay for high-tech imports and to support their allies. Now the U.S.S.R. is positioned to enter the Eurobond market in a big way. The deal could signal similar agreements with the U.S.