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Rude Produce
Seigniorage is the fee the mint charges in exchange for coining money out of bullion. Governments can use seigniorage to raise the value of state money above the value of bullion and/or compensate for a fall in their money’s value due to coin debasing.
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Seigniorage Term Timeline in The Wealth of Nations
The timeline below shows where the term Seigniorage appears in The Wealth of Nations. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Book 1, Chapter 5
There is no seigniorage in England—people don’t have to pay the mint to turn their gold bullion into gold...
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Book 4, Chapter 3
...or less than its nominal value in different countries. Coin debasing reduces its value, while seigniorage raises it. In some countries, debts are payable in bank money, which is worth more...
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Book 4, Chapter 6
...melt down freshly-minted coins and sell them as bullion. But if people had to pay seigniorage, like in France, this would stop because money would be worth more than its weight...
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Britain stopped charging seigniorage in 1769, in response to complaints from the Bank of England. But these complaints were...
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Book 5, Chapter 1
For instance, tolls can pay for roads and bridges, seigniorage can more than cover the cost of minting coinage, and post offices usually generate more...
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