diff --git a/Annex/NumCopies.hs b/Annex/NumCopies.hs
index 7509465703..a06ef0c5e9 100644
--- a/Annex/NumCopies.hs
+++ b/Annex/NumCopies.hs
@@ -104,7 +104,7 @@ verifyEnoughCopies
 	-> [Remote] -- remotes to check to see if they have it
 	-> Annex Bool
 verifyEnoughCopies nolocmsg key need skip preverified tocheck = 
-	helper [] [] (deDupVerifiedCopies preverified) (nub tocheck)
+	helper [] [] preverified (nub tocheck)
   where
 	helper bad missing have []
 		| NumCopies (length have) >= need = return True
@@ -117,7 +117,7 @@ verifyEnoughCopies nolocmsg key need skip preverified tocheck =
 			if verifiedEnoughCopies need stillhave
 				then return True
 				else helper bad missing stillhave (r:rs)
-		| any isFullVerification have = helper bad missing have rs
+		| any safeVerification have = helper bad missing have rs
 		| otherwise = do
 			haskey <- Remote.hasKey r key
 			case haskey of
@@ -128,23 +128,25 @@ verifyEnoughCopies nolocmsg key need skip preverified tocheck =
 {- Check whether enough verification has been done of copies to allow
  - dropping content safely.
  -
- - Unless numcopies is 0, at least one VerifiedCopyLock is required.
- - This prevents races between concurrent drops from dropping the last
- - copy, no matter what.
+ - Unless numcopies is 0, at least one VerifiedCopyLock or TrustedCopy
+ - is required. A VerifiedCopyLock prevents races between concurrent
+ - drops from dropping the last copy, no matter what.
  -
- - The other N-1 copies can be less strong verifications. While those
- - are subject to concurrent drop races, and so could be dropped
- - all at once, causing numcopies to be violated, this is the best that can
- - be done without requiring all special remotes to support locking.
+ - The other N-1 copies can be less strong verifications, like
+ - RecentlyVerifiedCopy. While those are subject to concurrent drop races,
+ - and so could be dropped all at once, causing numcopies to be violated,
+ - this is the best that can be done without requiring all special remotes
+ - to support locking.
  -}
 verifiedEnoughCopies :: NumCopies -> [VerifiedCopy] -> Bool
 verifiedEnoughCopies (NumCopies n) l
 	| n == 0 = True
-	| otherwise = length (deDupVerifiedCopies l) >= n && any isFullVerification l
+	| otherwise = length (deDupVerifiedCopies l) >= n && any safeVerification l
 
-isFullVerification :: VerifiedCopy -> Bool
-isFullVerification (VerifiedCopyLock _) = True
-isFullVerification _ = False
+safeVerification :: VerifiedCopy -> Bool
+safeVerification (VerifiedCopyLock _) = True
+safeVerification (TrustedCopy _) = True
+safeVerification (RecentlyVerifiedCopy _) = False
 
 notEnoughCopies :: Key -> NumCopies -> [VerifiedCopy] -> [UUID] -> [Remote] -> String -> Annex ()
 notEnoughCopies key need have skip bad nolocmsg = do
diff --git a/Types/NumCopies.hs b/Types/NumCopies.hs
index 0acb7cc3b0..1a3b973cc3 100644
--- a/Types/NumCopies.hs
+++ b/Types/NumCopies.hs
@@ -30,14 +30,13 @@ fromNumCopies (NumCopies n) = n
 
 -- A verification that a copy of a key exists in a repository.
 data VerifiedCopy
-	{- Use when a repository cannot be accessed, but it's
-	 - a trusted repository, which is on record as containing a key
-	 - and is presumably not going to lose its copy. 
-	 - This is the weakest level of verification. -}
-	= TrustedCopy V
 	{- Represents a recent verification that a copy of an
 	 - object exists in a repository with the given UUID. -}
-	| RecentlyVerifiedCopy V
+	= RecentlyVerifiedCopy V
+	{- Use when a repository cannot be accessed, but it's
+	 - a trusted repository, which is on record as containing a key
+	 - and is presumably not going to lose its copy. -}
+	| TrustedCopy V
  	{- The strongest proof of the existence of a copy.
 	 - Until its associated action is called to unlock it,
 	 - the copy is locked in the repository and is guaranteed
@@ -72,9 +71,9 @@ instance Show V where
 strongestVerifiedCopy :: VerifiedCopy -> VerifiedCopy -> VerifiedCopy
 strongestVerifiedCopy a@(VerifiedCopyLock _) _ = a
 strongestVerifiedCopy _ b@(VerifiedCopyLock _) = b
+strongestVerifiedCopy a@(TrustedCopy _) _ = a
+strongestVerifiedCopy _ b@(TrustedCopy _) = b
 strongestVerifiedCopy a@(RecentlyVerifiedCopy _) _ = a
-strongestVerifiedCopy _ b@(RecentlyVerifiedCopy _) = b
-strongestVerifiedCopy a@(TrustedCopy _) _  = a
 
 -- Retains stronger verifications over weaker for the same uuid.
 deDupVerifiedCopies :: [VerifiedCopy] -> [VerifiedCopy]