One way to hold paltry: a scrap of old cloth. The evidence traces it to Middle Low German paltrig, ragged and worthless, from palte, a rag. A rag is worth nothing and is not worth a second look, and that one picture covers both uses - a thing too slight to matter, and an amount too small to be any use. In both, the speaker is not describing ; the complaint is built into the word.
From the word’s history
From Middle Low German paltrig, meaning ragged or worthless, built on palte, a rag or shred of cloth. The ultimate origin is uncertain in the source itself, so the rag is as far back as this goes.
來自中古低地德語 paltrig（破爛、不值錢），底下是 palte「碎布、破布」。資料本身說更早的來源並不確定，所以這裡就停在「破布」這張圖。
Wiktionary entry for 'paltry' (adjective), etymology_text supplied in the evidence packet: 'From Middle Low German paltrig (ragged, rubbishy, worthless), from palter, palte (cloth, rag, shred) ... Of uncertain ultimate origin.'
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