How is it decided how many American Silver Eagle are made each year?

There is a list on this wiki page as to how many American Silver Eagles had been made in the past years.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_Silver_Eagle

Does the mint decide how many are made each year?
How is it decided and when?

For example you can order the 2012 American Silver Eagle Proof from the mint site and it shows available by April 14th.
So do we have any idea how many 2012 American Silver Eagles will be made this year?

Why was there so few 1995-W American Silver Eagle Proofs made?

Thanks,

 

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For the bullion pieces it all depends on how many are ordered by the distributors. For the Proofs and the "burnished Uncs" some times they set a limit based on how many have been selling in previous years, and sometimes it is left open to the number of pieces that are ordered.

As for the 1995-W the mint set a limit of 50,000 pieces, but you couldn't buy it. The only way to get it was to buy a four piece gold proof set for $999 and they through in the 95-W ASE proof for free. Now at the time proof ASE's were selling at the mint for about $28. But if you wanted this one you had to shell out $999 for four gold coins that most ASE collectors didn't want. In 1995 gold spent the whole year bounced around in the $370 to $390 range so the price of the set was close to three times bullion. In the end they only managed to sell about 31,000 sets (Oddly enough they sold a bunch of of the gold sets without the ASE too. The price? $999. The four piece gold proof set cost the same with or without the ASE.)

 

Thanks for the reply.

 

Yah conder beat me to it. They are made to order.