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<p>[QUOTE=&quot;Catbert, post: 473231, member: 12718&quot;]Take a good look at this coin I bought last April from a reputable dealer, that I have sold recently. The pics, on first examination, show a pretty nice early copper in a XF40 PCGS slab (a scratched slab though):</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p><img src="http://i259.photobucket.com/albums/hh297/IndianaCatbert/1803%20Draped%20Bust%20Cent/CentralStates4-08013.jpg" class="bbCodeImage wysiwygImage" alt="" unselectable="on" /></p><p>&nbsp;</p><p><img src="http://i259.photobucket.com/albums/hh297/IndianaCatbert/1803%20Draped%20Bust%20Cent/CentralStates4-08012.jpg" class="bbCodeImage wysiwygImage" alt="" unselectable="on" /></p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>I asked an early copper expert on chances of removal of the obverse carbon spot in front of Liberty&#039;s face that was bugging me and the chance of getting it reslabbed afterward. Careful what you ask for because you may learn more than you expected! Here is what he said after reviewing the above pictures (shared with you in the spirit of education when buying early copper - tough to find early copper that doesn&#039;t have some flaws):</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>&quot;From what I can see and guess regarding your large cent, there is risk in further work. This is merely my best guess from your pictures, and without seeing the piece &quot;in the copper.&quot; It looks to me like the two spots at the upper right obverse, and maybe one at the bottom, already have had some work done, with a bit of a &quot;pit&quot; visible from the probably necessary &quot;dig.&quot; I basically agree that the cancer should be removed to avoid future continuation of the damage....... Sometimes that does mean going into the surface, as did the corrosion previously.&quot; </p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>&quot;It looks like someone already did just that on your 1803 on those tougher and obvious spots. It also looks like there are different sorts of verdigris present, making different levels of outcome a big probability. To be sure, it looks like there is indeed removable black substance in the fillet, parts of the wreath, and elsewhere; however there is also cuprous oxide (that red look) at the bottom of the bust. That generally typifies an intrusive corrosion, and compromised metal, which frequently leads to less than satisfying results. The results of a cuprous oxide coin virtually never match those of any other type of corrosion. It is very tough to work.......&quot; </p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>&quot;So your problem is that, if the coin is cracked out, and whether or not any future work helps the thing, you may have a problem getting it graded again. ....... A removed spot is one criteria for a no-grade, and it looks like that has already happened here. Those other spots may very well be a similar situation. If it were raw I might have a shot at it, as I know I wouldn&#039;t hurt it, and I could easily stop before it started going downhill. However since it is already in a maxed-out grade PCGS holder, I will pass on this one.&quot; </p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>So, with this knowledge confirming my suspicions, I sold the coin. Of course, I paid a relatively small price for the tuition (selling below my cost) so perhaps all is not lost in that I&#039;ve gained knowledge I didn&#039;t have before. </p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>Obviously, this is another good example of a common mistake - one should <b>&quot;buy the coin, not the slab&quot;</b>. This is really good advice.[/QUOTE]</p><p><br /></p>

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