2011 ASE 25th Anniversary Set- Reverse Proof Vs. S Mint Mark

The Mint has only produced one S Mint marked ASE (this one) vs. 2 RP's..it is unique to the series

The RPs have a visual appeal to them that is not shared by any other US minted coin, not too much is unique about a simple S mintmark on an otherwise-ordinary bullion coin.

Early Release is done with on this issue but First Strike will be with us for quite awhile.

1986-1992 Proof ASE's have "S" mintmarks.
However, the 2011-S is the only non-Proof ASE with an "S" mintmark. Making it truly a "one-of-a-kind" coin, unlike the Reverse Proof.

It must be admitted that there is only one other Reverse Proof to date (the 2006-P), and the 2011-P is the lower mintage of the two.

Also, the inclusion of a 2016-P Reverse Proof in a 30th Anniversary Set now seems like a sure bet, much more so than a 2016-S burnished.
I wish they'd do a 2016-D ASE for that Set!

True for their Mint issue price, but in the secondary market, there are exceptions to this rule. Notably in modern commemorative coins.

The 2009 Lincoln Silver Dollar is now worth more in Uncirculated than Proof.
Mintage was 375,000 Proof and 125,000 Uncirculated.

The reverse proof sells for more because it is VISUALLY different.

From an artistic/craftsmanship point of view, the reverse proof coin is much more complex. The 2011 RP is made slightly differently than the 2006 coin was. For the 2011 coin, the die is first highly polished, then the matte surfaces are laser etched, and then the whole die surface is vapor coated with chrome nitride to harden it. The uncirculated die are simply vapor "sandblasted" before use. I do not know which die last longer but I suspect that more coins are struck with an uncirculated die set than with a RP die pair, adding to the production cost of the RP coins. The RP coins also use the same highly polished planchets used for normal proofs, whereas the uncirculated coins use the burnished planchets, another factor that increases the production cost for RP coins. While it has been noted that cost of production does not always correlate with secondary market prices, there is certainly some effect. Personally, I do not see any difference in "rarity" between the S-uncircualted and the the RP, both have the same mintage and come from the same set. Whether or not other similar coins have been minted is unimportant. Neither coin is part of a series in the normal sense. The 2011-S unc differs from the 2011-W coin in mint mark only, the 2011-P RP leaves a five year gap since the 2006 coin and is created using a different (and for now, unique) process. To try to put meaningful weights on the differences and similarities between these coins and others is probably a fruitless task. Given the equal mintages, history says that the RP will probably always command a slightly higher price, simply because of its more complex surface. I don't believe that either coin will ever be seen as rarer than the other.