A fee charged by a mint for converting bullion (raw metal) into coins; also, the difference in value between raw metal and finished coins.
From Old French 'brassage,' from 'braser' (to braze or work metal). Related to the concept of 'brassing' or working metal to create something finished and valuable.
Brassage is why coins are worth more than their weight in raw metal—medieval mints charged people a fee (the brassage) to turn their gold or silver into official coins, but they often kept some metal as profit, creating one of history's first examples of markup pricing!
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