I'm looking to get an ASE proof, what would be a fair price to pay for one? I see a lot on ebay for around $60, but that seems a bit pricey to me. How much are they directly from the mint?
There are none this year from the mint. When silver was around $11 a proof was about $20 from the mint.
You can also check the prices you are finding on eBay against these sellers: Modern Coin Mint Mint Products
Recent Proof ASE original retail prices from US Mint: 2006-W ASE from US Mint $27.95 2007-W ASE from US Mint $29.95 2008-W ASE from US Mint $31.95 2009-W ASE [not released]
Thanks. Do you think the Mint will make any more in the coming years? I'd rather wait and buy it directly from them.
Yes, the reason they did not is due to a very large demand for the UNC ASE's this year. There was not enough spare silver to make the proofs. They will return when the silver buying cools down.
It remains to be seen, as not much information about their return has been available. If they do return you should be prepared to buy them because they will be hot! You can already set up, and I advise you do, a subscription with the US Mint for these coins should they be released: Proof ASE / Unc ASE. This would likely ensure that you would receive a coin earlier than those who wait until the day of release to place an order for them. Whether or not they are released they are currently showing a subscription price per unit at $31.95 and $25.95 respectively, but are subject to change. If you don't already subscribe to these updates, you might decide to follow CoinNews.net as they release a lot of information on the Eagle programs. This article from 8/3/2010 mentioned the following:
