Haematite alpha-Fe2O3(0001)-1X1 and a reconstructed (1X1)R30 similar to surface were studied by low-energy electron diffraction (LEED), ultraviolet photoelectron spectroscopy (UPS) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). The possibility of the existence of gamma-Fe2O3(111) patches on the reconstructed surface obtained without Ar+ sputtering pretreatment is discussed. During the initial Cu growth on the substrate, the formation of Cu+ states was indicated by X-ray-induced Auger parameter observations. With increasing amounts of Cu, Cu(111) epitaxial growth occurred for both the above surfaces.