Half Cents & Large Cents: What To Look For/Beware Of

Carbon spots will NOT come off using acetone.
Acetone is used to remove dirt, crud, fingerprints, glue and oily residues.
Acetone is used for conserving coins.

The removal of carbon spots is in the realm of cleaning coins which is a no-no unless the coin is so bad that it can't be further harmed.

@NumisEd, I happen to think it's lovely! Since early copper is so old, I believe we can be more forgiving with carbon spots. So while the "goal" might be to find early copper with no carbon spots, sometimes we might compromise.

The below coin is what I refer to as my "Ash Wednesday" Half Cent, lol. I bought it as an MS64RD w/CAC. Despite that "distracting" spot, I felt there was a LOT to like. I resubmitted it to PCGS via Reconsideration, and apparently they liked it a lot too, and added on a "+", despite them having graded that coin VERY recently. As noted, CAC liked it too. Since the cert number remains unchanged with the Reconsideration submission, and that CAC ignores "+" grades, CAC then automatically reapplied their sticker for just $3. This coin then went from a pop of 32 with 7 finer, to a pop of only 3 with only 4 finer. I don't mind the accompanying increase in value either.

"Burnished" describes a coin's finish. Burnished coins have a soft, matte-like finish. They're somewhat shiny, but not as shiny or as vibrant as a proof coin. Burnished coins are smooth to the touch and display a great deal of detail.