Ok here is a toughy

[slplsinbstn]

Ok Gang:
What do suggest here:

I just dug this nice bottle but it still has it's stopper which is all rusted. Should I try removing it and cleaning it or just leave it alone and sell it like it is??

Thanks
Jeff

 

[slplsinbstn]

second photo

 

[slplsinbstn]

Third photo

 

[slplsinbstn]

Whoops where is my third photo; Hmm try again here:

 

[reach44]

I'd carefully remove it. It's roached out and it makes the bottle look like crap. Just my opinion though []

 

[GuntherHess]

closure isn't doing anything positive for the bottle. You can take a nice one off a common if you want one on it.

 

[chosi]

Speaking from the point of view of somebody who buys bottles and almost never sells them -
If I were buying this bottle, I'd prefer it if you left it as-is, so that I could clean it myself.

I like having the original stopper, and I always see the "potential" the bottle will have after I clean it up.
Sometimes bottles come out great after a cleaning, and sometimes not-so-great. If you clean it and it comes out not-so-great, I might actually pay less than I would if it was in it's original dug state.

I'm pretty sure I'm in the minority though.

 

[andy volkerts]

What they both said!!!

 

[reach44]

ORIGINAL: chosi

Speaking from the point of view of somebody who buys bottles and almost never sells them -
If I were buying this bottle, I'd prefer it if you left it as-is, so that I could clean it myself.

I like having the original stopper, and I always see the "potential" the bottle will have after I clean it up. 
Sometimes bottles come out great after a cleaning, and sometimes not-so-great.   If you clean it and it comes out not-so-great, I might actually pay less than I would if it was in it's original dug state.

I'm pretty sure I'm in the minority though.

That's actually a really good point. Some people probably do see the fun in cleaning up their collection and newly acquired pieces. Never thought of it that way. []

 

[cacarpetbagger]

If it were mine I would clean it. Nice looking blob.