Ore Merchants Society

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Merchants played an important role in the developed mining process of Kuttenberg – independent entrepreneurs known as ore merchants, who bought ore from the king’s vassals (feudal miners or the miners themselves) and processed it in their own smelters. They smelted the mined ore and then were obliged to deliver the produced silver to the Kuttenberg mint at an agreed price. Thus, they were important links in the entire process of silver production.
The ore merchants were naturally aware of their importance in the mining industry, and therefore they founded their own association to protect their properties and interests.
It was not uncommon for greed to lead the ore merchants to violate the law for their benefit – for example, secretly pressuring to lower the price of ore, thereby increasing their profits at the expense of the miners and the ruler.

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