GoldFinger1969

Biggest problem is that the low-hanging fruit has been plucked and there's been no great technological improvement in mining efficiency as there has been with oil production and fracking.
Throw in decades of lousy M&A and CAPX projects and shareholder destruction and it's no wonder gold production has stalled (peaked ?).  Let's see if a stustained price close to $2,400 (or more) boosts production.  Effects are usually HIGHLY lagged.

Work day at a US Mint in 1915. Six days per week, but Saturday was a 1/2-day.

Following is a distillation of five years' experience as an active chat board participant which I would like to share with you to enhance your experience here whether you are new, an amateur part-time collector or a seasoned professional numismatist.
1.  First and foremost, Please read the Guidelines of conduct expected on the Board and consult the Subforums to better acquaint yourself with "Basic Resources" and "What you should know" (WYSK) about coins and coin collecting.
2.  Resist the impulse to jump in.  (Attendees of self-help groups, those engaged in courtship -- and patients recovering from major surgery are advised to avoid making important decisions for various lengths of time, and for good reason.) Chat Board participation is no different.  As you navigate the boards, certain coins or coin problems will resonate with you. My advice: resist the impulse, temptation or compulsion to join in.  Familiarize yourself with the Boards, paricipating members and the context of posts first.
3.  GET TO KNOW THE PLAYERS!  Rightly or wrongly, the forums are a one-room schoolhouse. They are comprised of the young and old, the experienced and inexperienced, the novice ("Newbie") and the seasoned veteran professional. Remember, first impressions count! And the impression and reputation you develop will follow you, for better or worse, for the duration of your membership.
4.  Cultivate a positive attitude and personality.  To the extent you can, adhere to the standards of proper English, grammar and spelling.
5.  The Guidelines are key and should be referred to as needed.  Avoid feeding into cantankerous exchanges, outright hostility, personal slights or insults. If you do encounter it, "report" it.  You can do this by engaging the three small vertically arranged "dots" located at the top, right-hand side of every post. Press on all three, one of which is "report" and briefly describe your problem. The "report" you make will be reviewed when it is received.   You may not respond to any violation you may perceive on the Chat Board directly, whether directed to you or others.
6.  If you come across a Topic which exhibits a coin and an anomaly much like yours, do not post yours on the thread that follows so as not to confuse viewers. Very often, threads focused on one coin will cause  consternation to those following the thread resulting in confusion and effectively "derailing" the thread. You are encouraged to start your own thread.
7.  Avoid hit-and-run posts by referring viewers to sites which promote your own interests, or others, for financial gain. The only proper place to sell or trade coins is the Topic: "Coin Marketplace."  Posts which promote commercial ventures like research are violative of the Guidelines, fly in the face of ethics and will be reported and removed.
8.  Lengthy dissertations lauding a member's most recent acquisition may be addressed succinctly by tapping the appropriate emoji.
9.  At times, you may finish writing a post, press SEND, only to see your work disappear.  Not to worry. Your post may have been enveloped in a backlog which the Moderators are attending to. One of three things may have happened if you revisit the Topic and tap the space your post formerly occupied: a). your post was rejected; b). your post was accepted but no longer quite fits in within the progression of what may have become a heated, usually fast-moving thread, and the matter, having been addressed, you can tap the x meaning "Clear Editor," or c). your post had been cleared, held for your review and only requires you tap the x on the extreme right to be followed by your pressing send, for posting.
10.  If the names of all the regulars, their areas of interest, their likes, pecking order (alliances) confuse you, you may wish to keep a scorecard. It will go a long way to to helping you understand Who' Who, their likes and dislikes, who the contenders are, where they are from, whether they are working or retired, and, while technically all are members -- to post you must be a member -- some are more so than others.  Remember, we are all human and come from all walks of life. We also have our good days and bad. It's best not to take things personally. If you wish to contact a member, you may wish to "private message" the person directly via PM, if that member makes that option available. Look for the "envelope" which may be engaged by simply tapping their name on any post.  The longest-running threads appear first. Members are encouraged to introduce or maintain topics that are based on numismatic themes.
In closing, Happy Hunting and Good Luck!
-Henri Charriere, 5/17/2024

Note that the "value" in the price guides are generally retail. A coin dealer might offer you 70% of that.

Or you could take the slab number and look it up on NGC. It says the value for the coin posted is $225
Verify NGC Certification | NGC (ngccoin.com)

The only price guide available to me that lists this coin in this exact grade is the PCGS Price Guide, which gives a current retail value of $260 for an 1880-S Morgan dollar graded MS 64+ PL. https://www.pcgs.com/prices/detail/morgan-dollar/744/grades-61-70/ms.  The NGC Price Guide lists an 1880-S Morgan dollar in MS 64 PL at $190 and in MS 65 PL at $275 (value last updated October 2020).  Morgan Dollars (1878-1921) | Price Guide & Values | NGC (ngccoin.com). The current (April-June) CPG Rare Coin Market Review has MS 64 PL at $257 and MS 65 PL at $358. The green CAC sticker indicates that the coin is "solid for the grade" whether NGC or PCGS graded it in the opinion of the CAC graders, so the $260 usually high PCGS value is probably a good estimate. 
   If you want to look for actual sale prices for CAC approved coins in this grade, you would likely do better to check the auction archives on the sites of major numismatic auctioneers, such as Great Collections, Heritage (ha.com), and Stacks Bowers. In my opinion, reported sales on eBay may be questionable.
   

Hello and welcome!
Being you are seemingly new to the hobby and coins in general, my admonishing would be to never clean your coins. The process of cleaning coins typically involves some type of paste or abrasive or even just rubbing the coin under a stream of water with your fingers. Some terrible cleaning methods involve toothpaste, erasers, and sandpaper and completely ruin the coin surfaces and will negate all value of the coin down to face value or melt value in the case of silver or gold. Any of these processes are not something you should ever do. If you are just looking to improve the appearance of a coin, there is a service called NCS (Numismatic Conservation Services) which can be found on this website under the NCS tab. The processes used by this service do not alter or affect the original surface and are not a cleaning but rather a conservation of the coin by proprietary methods to remove harmful surface contaminants and stabilize the surface of a coin. None on here know what these methods are and their employees seemingly must be bound by a non disclosure as there is not any source of leak of information on how this is accomplished. Conservation can also remove PVC contamination in some cases if it has not progressed too far, and can make the coin look better by removing surface contaminants but is not a magic wand to make any coin look as if it was just minted. It also cannot restore the red color to copper.
My advice to you is to do that reading and research you mentioned, and get used to coins and the minting process as well as learning about different metals and the issues they have when it comes to contaminants, storage methods (improper and proper) and other coin surface issues like toning, "milk spots", and environmental damage before you break open any of your cardboard flips and start going down the road of "self conservation". You should be asking yourself why you need to use acetone as there are limited situations to begin with for its use. If you really need to help a coin's surface, you should think about having it conserved by professionals who can help remedy those issues without negatively affecting the grade of the coin. 
Toning, in and of itself, is not necessarily damage and while it may be something of eye appeal, keep in mind there are many coins with very high grades that have toning. If you want coins without it, and that have even, original surfaces, you should look to purchase such coins without toning, as while in some cases light toning can be removed, it will surely negatively impact the grade of the coin, even with proper conservation. 

Acetone is an organic solvent. If something stuck to a coin is not organic, acetone will do nothing. Be sure to use ONLY pure USP acetone in a well ventilated place. Do not smoke, vape, light flares, or BBQ near the stuff.
Common "cleaning" alters the surface, and that can never be reversed.

Thanks for the quick replies.  
JKK.  How do you really feel about cleaning coins? 
 I've read that admonition  so many times,  that's why I was so conflicted - just wanted some clarification.  Never fear.  I was only thinking of using the acetone on coins low on value but high on dirt like heavily traveled LMCs.  When I do, I will certainly follow Coinbuf's good tips.
Other than that I will not clean my coins. 
Thanks again.

Don't clean your coins.
If you have any questions about that, don't clean your coins.
While you are thinking about and evaluating them, don't clean your coins.
Hope that's helpful.

"....One panelist, coin dealer and longtime consumer advocate Scott Travers, lamented the fact that a classic high-population quarter that he owned had lost significant value (from $34,000 to $6,000 USD) in recent years."
Definitely a quarter, but not sure what type.
Jordan cards come back to Earth:
https://www.altaninsights.com/blog-posts/unpacking-the-rise-and-fall-of-the-1986-fleer-michael-jordan-rookie-card

"....One panelist, coin dealer and longtime consumer advocate Scott Travers, lamented the fact that a classic high-population quarter that he owned had lost significant value (from $34,000 to $6,000 USD) in recent years."
Definitely a quarter, but not sure what type.
Jordan cards come back to Earth:
https://www.altaninsights.com/blog-posts/unpacking-the-rise-and-fall-of-the-1986-fleer-michael-jordan-rookie-card

I did say that, but I think I got the coin wrong or might have.  I'm not sure the article identified which one.  It might have been a Liberty Seated quarter.
Quite a few Barber quarters still worth $34K but I wouldn't call a single one "special" by my standards.  Aside from any that quality as "top pop", the 1901-S also does several grades lower. 1913-S (?) and one other "key" date which slips my mind (1895-S?) possibly also.  I've never failed to see these three "key" dates at or near "gem" every time I looked.  It's not that often but not that infrequent either.
How has that Jordan rookie card done?  Anyone know?
My recollection is that it sold for $600K in 2020 with a count of 316 in "70", and I'm guessing many more exist.

An oldie, but a goody!  🤣
For those for whom such matters are of interest, the spot GOLD price for today, Friday, May 17, 2024 is:  $ 2,420./z

🐓:  Spot GOLD is $2,420/z as of today, May 17, 2024.
All have my express permission to call this development whatever they will.  🤣

Is Gold too High?  No, and speaking for myself, it never will be.  What I am secretly hoping for is "profit-taking."  Collectors cashing out. Malheureusement, for me, the number of certified pieces I require can be counted on one hand, are owned by people of apparently considerable means -- and apparently many other sets.  That's one reason why I chose to attempt to acquire the cornerstone, actually keystone, of my collection.
Incidentally, in the course of my many transactions via PayPal (which is becoming more and more unsavory with constant amendments to their legal "contracts" with you, whether buyer or seller, I discovered overseas sources gave both them and TPGS wide berth. I also found out that "bank wire transfers" (the JP Morgan Chase charge is $50) is NOT instantaneous and can take up to a week or more to transact!  [USPS money orders are for domestic use only and though good for up to $1500., the maximum you buy is $3,000.  If you try a check-cashing place with considerable cash, you cannot transmit it by Western Union to a business w/o a name and street address. Logically, you walk in with a hefty amount of cash, you will be interrogated at length, asked how well you know the person you're sending the money to -- only to be told your transaction is denied.  
Gold too High?  Nope. Not yet.  But I would imagine the owners of all those sets on the various Set Registries -- and our Pallett Man -- are quite pleased.  🤣

Yes I would like a good reference source on Trade Dollars. However I'm not so concerned with die varieties, more so what original skin should look like on higher grade circulated pieces. Some collect damaged (chop marked) coins but I don't consider those even slightly comparable to original straight grade pieces. Look at how few NGC/PCGS graded AU 55 coins there are, many of which are cleaned but not noted as such. Then see how very few get that CAC or CACG grade. The numbers are small to say the least attesting to the true scarcity of original unmolested pieces. One interesting note is that nice San Francisco mint coins seem to be available even though many were lost to Asian trade. It's just a cool series to collect but unfortunately I can't afford uncirculated coins. 
 

Chemical replacements for cyanide (i.e., thiosulfates) in bulk leaching have made passive extraction from certain tailings and low grade ores practical. (Several of the popular TV gold mining shows have mentioned this but it's not a dramatic or visually interesting process.)

No, not yet here, and won't for another year.  Europe is a different story: when a grade falls squarely within a range of grades, and the cost of certification reverts to submitters, water will seek its own level.
I am afraid I cannot speak for the other continents.

I'm not sure about in this forum but over ATS they have had some doozies with back-and-forths by ex-graders and really knoweldgeable folks (not that we don't have them, too, just not in the quantity over there)...about wear, cabinet friction, rub, and friction. 
It's gotten more prominent and heated ever since CACG came on the scene and some coins went from initial grades of MS to AU under the CACG regime.  I've learned alot, but if these experts and professionals can't agree on the definition -- or when it should come into play -- then how the heck can a lowly peon like me figure it out ?  
 
 

I haven't seen that, though at times seeing the imperfection on normal-sized 69's is VERY tough.  A bit easier on those 5-ounce coins. 

The definition and appearance of rub/wear/friction.  Debated on multiple forums over multiple years.
The tell-tale sign appears to be discolaration on high points of devices.  But some people insist that could be the result of a poor strike (among other possibilities, though the most likely/cited) -- metal not flowing into the high-point areas of the die -- and some very sharp, savvy veterans disagree on whether (for a particular series) it's possible to DEFINITIVELY tell if a coin has circulated (AU) or if it is still uncirculated (MS).

I'm not sure about in this forum but over ATS they have had some doozies with back-and-forths by ex-graders and really knoweldgeable folks (not that we don't have them, too, just not in the quantity over there)...about wear, cabinet friction, rub, and friction. 
It's gotten more prominent and heated ever since CACG came on the scene and some coins went from initial grades of MS to AU under the CACG regime.  I've learned alot, but if these experts and professionals can't agree on the definition -- or when it should come into play -- then how the heck can a lowly peon like me figure it out ?  
 
 

The change in gold price to $35/oz stimulated an even greater surge in mining, including mines that were only marginal before 1934. The present open market price has had a similar effect although it is spread over a decade or more.

Isn't this the small eagle? The NGC lookup says Large Eagle.