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# Mint

## Definition

A public institution that stamps and certifies specific quantities of metal with official marks indicating their weight and fineness, establishing trust in the currency and facilitating exchange by eliminating the need for individual weighing and assaying.

## Source Chapter

Book I, Chapter 4

## Context

Smith describes how mints emerge as necessary institutions to prevent fraud in metal currency by providing official certification of metal quality and quantity, drawing parallels to other public offices that certify the quality of commodities.

## Economic Domain

Regulation

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