Coopers Coin Academy – Forest Mint Chapter

Forest Mint reissue – PF70 pit – First Day of Issue – hand-signed by Cooper. 🪙🌲🐾

Hi, it’s me, Cooper. 🐶
Field report from my second home, the woods by the stream. 🌲💧 The air was clear, the leaves shimmered copper and gold, 🍂✨ and I continued my life’s work: digging. Digging remains my favorite hobby. ⛏️😄 Today’s pit had a perfect strike, sharp edges, and impressive depth. 🕳️🏅 Mud on my nose is a bonus. 🐽💦
Numismatic touch: If holes were coins, this one would get a PF70 UCAM with mirror-smooth water and a “frosted” Labrador. 🪙🔍 The provenance is documented with a paw-print, hand-signed label, 🐾✍️📜 issued on site.
At home, my humans talk about lions , Komodo dragons , and the Big Five rhinos , 🦁🦎🦏 but out here I create limited-edition sand sculptures. Unique pieces, hand-struck by me. 🐾🪣

Glossary of technical terms (simply explained)

Mint
It means mint. “Forest Mint” is a humorous name for the forest as the “minting site.” This playfully transfers the setting into numismatics, and you immediately recognize the allusion.
New issue
New issue. In numismatics, this refers to a newly released coin. Here, it’s Cooper’s newly “issued” tomb work – with a wink.
Strike
The sharpness of the embossing. A “perfect strike” means clear contours and clean details. This makes the design appear particularly high-quality and increases its eye appeal .
Rims
Coin edges. “Sharp rims” refer to precisely, cleanly formed edges without creases. Therefore, this is considered an important quality feature.
Depth
Depth of relief. Greater depth creates a stronger interplay of light and shadow, resulting in a more vibrant effect.
PF70
“Proof 70” on the Sheldon scale from 1 to 70. 70 is perfect, meaning no visible defects under 5x magnification. This is often referred to as “Top Pop” .
UCAM / Ultra Cameo
A very strong contrast exists between the matte, frosted, raised elements and the reflective fields. This creates the typical cameo effect that many collectors prefer.
First Day of Issue
An additional mark is added to the grading label if pieces were submitted on the first day of issue. This can increase the piece’s appeal because it documents its uniqueness and timely submission.
Hand-signed label
A hand-signed label in a slab, often by artists, mint officials, or well-known personalities. Cooper playfully turns this into a paw-signed label.
Provenance
Documented chain of origin and ownership. A clear provenance creates trust and can support the value, especially for sought-after editions.
One of one (1/1)
A unique piece. Common in art, rare in numismatics. Cooper uses it humorously for his one-of-a-kind “Sand Edition”.
Hand struck
Hand-struck. Historically common with medals. Here, it jokingly refers to Cooper’s “handwork” with his paw.
Eye appeal
The visual appeal of a piece. Strong contrast, clean surfaces and beautiful toning enhance the impression and thus often also the demand.

What you can remember

PF70 stands for perfect, UCAM for maximum contrast.
Label additions such as “First Day of Issue” or “hand-signed” add special features and documentation, thus often increasing the collector’s relevance.
Strike, Rims and Depth describe how sharp and three-dimensional an embossing appears – this allows you to assess quality more quickly.
Provenance tells the story behind the piece and creates trust, which is why it is particularly helpful with special editions.

Mini exercise

Take any proof coin and write down in one sentence: strike, rims, UCAM (yes or no), eye appeal, and any additional label markings . This will help you practice describing highlights precisely and with collectors in mind.

About the author: Larissa Wasserthal

Larissa Wasserthal writes for Wasserthal RareCoin.Store about modern numismatic gold coins, grading, rarity, and collector value. In Cooper’s Coin Academy, she combines numismatic expertise with easily understandable explanations for collectors.

Larissa Wasserthal also publishes technical articles for PCGS (Professional Coin Grading Service) , including on grading designations and abbreviations on PCGS holders.

Who is Cooper?

Cooper is the Labrador of Wasserthal RareCoin.Store and the junior numismatist of Cooper’s Coin Academy . In his lessons, he explains the basics and connections surrounding coin collecting in an understandable and sometimes slightly unusual way. 🐾

More lessons from Cooper’s Coin Academy

Further lessons on grading, quality characteristics and special certification details can be found in the Cooper’s Coin Academy .