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Message:: [QUOTE="Marshall, post: 7520821, member: 21705"]The old distinction was whether the process was removing foreign material like dust and dirt or not Therefore, a brush to remove dust and dirt was not doctoring. Then, aggressive brushing left a polished appearance, altering the appearance. was this  doctoring or not? What about treating active corrosion? If left untreated, it continues to eat away at the surfaces. Is this doctoring or conserving? Basic knowledge of chemistry indicates anything which can protect copper from the air will stop or at least hinder future chemical reactions and began a lacquering and waxing phase to conserve the highly reactive copper. Then toning and luster became important and old conservation techniques fell out of favor. It's much like the dipping craze when blast white was the most desirable condition for silver. Was this doctoring or conserving? The answer appears to change over time and by preference. But once the copper corrodes away, it's gone forever. The best course of action is simply pass along any information about the coin and any efforts to change it, whether those changes might be considered conservation or improvements.[/QUOTE]