Central banks are usually seperate from the mint. They don't print the money. Britain had a royal mint before it had the bank of England. The bank of England originally got it's money from borrowing. It borrowed money from the English at a commercial rate and used this money to pay for the Napoleonic war. Today I think it is a semantic argument to say that the Bank of England and the Royal Mint are especially independent. They are all departments of government and typically share an office with the treasury.
Yes, prices can change for many reasons. I was specifically talking about a debasement of the money. But sure, prices can rise due to shortages as well. But the point stands that an increase in the supply of money leads to a decrease in the price of money.
A comparison of prices and wages between 1929 and 1967. Noting the dollar had lost nearly half its value over that period of time. 1929 ($1.00 = $1.00) U.S. Population 121,767,000 Average income $1,575 about $0.75/hr $131/mo New Ford Sedan $695 3 BR House $4,485 ($48/mo 10yrs @5%) Mortgage rate 4.5% - 5% Gasolene gallon $0.21 10 Gillette blades $1.00 1/5 Jack Daniels prohibition Budweiser 6 pack prohibition Carton of Camels $1.15 100 Bayer aspirin $0.93 Ipana toothpaste $0.31 Ivory soap $0.06 1 lb steak $0.46 1 lb chicken $0.23 1 lb butter $0.56 1 qt milk $0.29 1 lb coffee $0.48 Loaf of bread $0.09 Dozen eggs $0.30 Dozen Oranges $0.45 Sears dresses $1.98 Sears suits $16.75 Sears hosiery $0.92 Sears neckties $0.89 Federal Debt $16,931,088,484.10 Debt PP $139.04 1967 ($1.00 = $0.512) U.S. Population 198,712,000 Average income $7,933 about $3.80/hr $661/mo In (2007$) $16,718 New Ford Sedan $3,243 3 BR House $22,700 Mortgage rate 6.00% Gasolene gallon $0.33 10 Gillette blades $1.40 1/5 Jack Daniels $3.64 Budweiser 6 pack $0.87 Carton of Camels $2.24 100 Bayer aspirin $1.42 Crest toothpaste $0.63 Ivory soap $0.14 1 lb steak $1.10 1 lb chicken $0.38 1 lb butter $0.83 1 qt milk $0.26 1 lb coffee $0.67 Loaf of bread $0.22 Dozen eggs $0.49 Dozen Oranges $0.49 Sears dresses $19.90 Sears suits $38.90 Sears hosiery $1.47 Sears neckties $2.10 Federal Debt $326,220,937,794.54 Debt PP $1,641.68