The commissioner shall require in advance, in lawful money of the United States as a fee for issuing certificates when the fee is not otherwise specified, sums as follows: (a) where there is sufficient demand so that the commissioner in his discretion has prepared a form of the certificate in advance, which requires only the filling in of blanks for completion, nine dollars ($9); and (b) for issuing any other certificate, the reasonable cost of preparing and issuing such certificate, but not to exceed twenty-three dollars ($23) for the first copy of such certificate and nine dollars ($9) for each additional copy thereof.