It is a valid observation that you make and applies to many different areas of collecting antiques.
As you observe, a simple cleaning of a coin seriously damages its grade and thus value, while the Japanese sword community often seems intent upon slowly grinding their artifacts to dust.
In early American furniture, a dirty original finish may equate to a five figure value while a refinished piece from the same workshop approaches firewood prices.
For myself, I tend to prefer restraint in making changes beyond what is necessary to prevent degradation (removal of active red rust) and I agree that what is restoration should be discernable.
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