Egads Man! Don't destroy it! We're just caretakers for these historical artifacts and owe it to the hobby to perserve these little beasties. (Warning! This got waaay long somehow!)

Did you ruin the chip is another question. To my eye, it was certainly a more interesting chip w/paint and if I was in the market for scarce Reno chips for triple digits or higher, I'd take a pass on your puppy. Sometimes however, "rescued" chips don't conventionaly fit into accepted value slots and you may find collectors down the road who want your example as is.

Case in point: I'm a Nevada Club enthusiast. I found a NC Las Vegas chip I'd been pursuing for years. Drilled cancellation. Plugged hole! Looks to my eye, and I'm going to present it to expert examination, as if it may be a Hall Of Famer Phil Jensen repair, a naive activity he was known for. Guess what? I'm an admirer of PJ also, so this baby is gold in MY collection!

And: Consider this beautious Harleys chip. I asked the seller at a show about the note on the flip, "No Paint". I've forgotten the details (and I welcome anyone who can tell the tale) but examples of this chip showed up under a coat of paint also. Chips that had undergone paint removal still bore the evidence in the mold details apparently, according to this seller. My chip was an unpainted example. Since I knew my seller and he supplied me with additional known sources of high repute as to the pedigree of this chip, I had no problem making the purchase of what I believe to be an unpainted chip. I believe that this particuar chip deserves paint removal due to its uncommon attractivness. Cleaning would not bring harm to the hobby in this case IMO.

Now for some context on your case. Mark Cotton is a friend to the chip collecting hobby and contributor to the to the success of and I would never have any problem vouching for him or his ethics. I figure you'll pass along the story of this chip if it ever changes hands. Good luck!