VANCOUVER, BC / ACCESSWIRE / June 9, 2022 / Metallic Minerals (TSX.V:MMG)(OTCQB:MMNGF) (“Metallic Minerals“, or the “Company“) is pleased to report that it has closed its previously announced non-brokered private placement financing for aggregate proceeds of $4,032,000 through the issuance of 9,600,000 units at a price of $0.42 per flow-through unit (the “Private Placement”). Each Unit consists of one flow-through common share and one-half purchase warrant where each whole warrant is exercisable into a flow-through common share for 30 months at a price of $0.50 on the TSX Venture Exchange (“TSX-V”).
Greg Johnson, CEO and Chairman, noted, “We are pleased to complete this premium-to-market Private Placement and to strengthen our shareholder base with new institutional investors. These new funds will be primarily directed toward the ongoing exploration and development of our Keno Silver Project in the high-grade, Keno silver district of Canada’s Yukon Territory. Final planning is underway for the initiation of our 2022 exploration programs at Keno Silver, as well as at our La Plata silver-gold-copper project in Colorado, USA. We look forward to meeting with existing and potential shareholders during PDAC 2022 in Toronto June 13-15, as well as during the Yukon Property Tours and Conference June 20-24 in Dawson City.”
Proceeds from the Private Placement will be used toward eligible Canadian Exploration Expenses, within the meaning of the Income Tax Act (Canada). The Private Placement is subject to the final approval of the TSX-V. The flow-through shares will be subject to a hold period of four months and one day from their date of issuance under applicable Canadian securities law.
The flow-through shares have not been, and will not be, registered under the U.S. Securities Act or any U.S. state securities laws, and may not be offered or sold in the United States or to, or for the account or benefit of, U.S. persons absent registration or any applicable exemption from the registration requirements of the U.S. Securities Act and applicable U.S. state securities laws.
An officer of the Company participated in the private placement for an aggregate of 4,400 FT Units. The participation by the insider in the private placement is considered to be a related-party transaction as defined under Multilateral Instrument 61-101. The transaction is exempt from the formal valuation and minority shareholder approval requirements of MI 61-101, as neither the fair market value of the securities being issued, nor the consideration being paid exceeds 25% of the Company’s market capitalization.
Upcoming Events
PDAC 2022 – Metallic will join fellow Metallic Group members, Stillwater Critical Minerals (formerly Group Ten Metals) and Granite Creek Copper, at PDAC in Toronto, June 13-15 (Booth IE2851).
Yukon Property Tours & Conference – Metallic will be in Dawson City June 20-24 for the 2022 Yukon Property Tours, with President, Scott Petsel, and CEO, Greg Johnson, both visiting the Keno Silver Project for exploration planning.
About Metallic Minerals
Metallic Minerals Corp. is an exploration and development stage company, focused on silver, gold and copper in the high-grade Keno Hill and La Plata mining districts of North America. Our objective is to create shareholder value through a systematic, entrepreneurial approach to making exploration discoveries, growing resources and advancing projects toward development. Metallic Minerals has consolidated the second-largest land position in the historic Keno Hill silver district of Canada’s Yukon Territory, directly adjacent to Alexco Resource Corp’s operations, with more than 300 million ounces of high-grade silver in past production and current M&I resources. In addition, the Company recently announced the inaugural resource estimate for the La Plata silver-gold-copper project in southwestern Colorado. All of the districts in which the Company works have seen significant mineral production and have existing infrastructure, including power and road access. Metallic Minerals is led by a team with a track record of discovery and exploration success on several major precious and base metal deposits, as well as having large-scale development, permitting and project financing expertise.
About the Metallic Group of Companies
The Metallic Group is a collaboration of leading precious and base metals exploration and development companies, with a portfolio of large, brownfields assets in established mining districts adjacent to some of the industry’s highest-grade producers of silver and gold, platinum and palladium, and copper. Member companies include Metallic Minerals in the Yukon’s high-grade Keno Hill silver district and La Plata silver-gold-copper district of Colorado, Granite Creek Copper in the Yukon’s Minto copper district, and Stillwater Critical Minerals (formerly Group Ten Metals) in the Stillwater PGM-nickel-copper district of Montana, USA and Kluane district in the Yukon. The founders and team members of the Metallic Group include highly successful explorationists formerly with some of the industry’s leading explorer/developers and major producers. With this expertise, the companies are undertaking a systematic approach to exploration and development using new models and technologies to facilitate discoveries in these proven, but under-explored, mining districts. Members of the Metallic Group have been recognized as recipients of awards for excellence in environmental stewardship demonstrating commitment to responsible resource development and appropriate ESG practices. The Metallic Group is headquartered in Vancouver, BC, Canada, and its member companies are listed on the Toronto Venture, US OTCQB and Frankfurt stock exchanges.
Forward Looking Statements: This news release includes certain statements that may be deemed “forward-looking statements”. All statements in this release, other than statements of historical facts including, without limitation, statements regarding potential mineralization, historic production, estimation of mineral resources, the realization of mineral resource estimates, interpretation of prior exploration and potential exploration results, the timing and success of exploration activities generally, the timing and results of future resource estimates, permitting time lines, metal prices and currency exchange rates, availability of capital, government regulation of exploration operations, environmental risks, reclamation, title, and future plans and objectives of the company are forward-looking statements that involve various risks and uncertainties. Although Metallic Minerals believes the expectations expressed in such forward-looking statements are based on reasonable assumptions, such statements are not guarantees of future performance and actual results or developments may differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are based on a number of material factors and assumptions. Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those in forward-looking statements include failure to obtain necessary approvals, unsuccessful exploration results, changes in project parameters as plans continue to be refined, results of future resource estimates, future metal prices, availability of capital and financing on acceptable terms, general economic, market or business conditions, risks associated with regulatory changes, defects in title, availability of personnel, materials and equipment on a timely basis, accidents or equipment breakdowns, uninsured risks, delays in receiving government approvals, unanticipated environmental impacts on operations and costs to remedy same, and other exploration or other risks detailed herein and from time to time in the filings made by the companies with securities regulators. Readers are cautioned that mineral resources that are not mineral reserves do not have demonstrated economic viability. Mineral exploration and development of mines is an inherently risky business. Accordingly, the actual events may differ materially from those projected in the forward-looking statements. For more information on Metallic Minerals and the risks and challenges of their businesses, investors should review their annual filings that are available at www.sedar.com.
Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.
Integrous- Oil & Gas- Drilling & Exploration- The Answer to Supply-Side Inflation
Crude oil at the highest price since 2008- Inventories and product prices support higher highs
Natural gas is also at a fourteen-year high- Inventories, and European prices support the continuation of a very volatile bull market
The four reasons for higher fossil fuel prices- SPR releases are a temporary band-aid
Drilling and exploration are the answer to supply-side economic woes
XOP outperforming the stock market in 2022- The trend is your best friend
Throughout most of 2021, the US Federal Reserve called the rising inflationary pressures “transitory.” Late last year, increasing consumer and producer price data convinced the central bank that the economic condition was not a temporary event. The Fed told markets it was preparing to shift to a more hawkish approach to monetary policy to address the economy’s demand-side pressures. The artificially low interest rates, liquidity, and government stimulus in 2020 and 2021 planted the inflationary seeds which sprouted during the second half of 2020, throughout 2021, and into early 2022.
In early 2022, the geopolitical landscape threw a curveball at the central bank when Russia invaded Ukraine, launching the first major war in Europe since WW II. Sanctions on Russia and Russian retaliation began to cause even more upside pressure on commodity prices as Russia is a leading producer of energy and other raw materials. China and Russia’s “no-limits” support agreement complicated matters, setting the stage for the invasion.
Crude oil and natural gas prices had already been rising by the end of 2021. The leading benchmark crude oil futures are the Brent and WTI contracts. After falling to a record low below zero in April 2020, nearby WTI crude oil futures at $75.21 per barrel. Brent futures fell to $16 per barrel, the lowest price of this century in April 2020, and closed 2021 at the $77.78 level.
Meanwhile, nearby natural gas futures dropped to $1.44 per MMBtu in June 2020 and were at the $3.73 level on December 31, 2021. The oil and gas futures markets had been rising, making higher lows and higher highs throughout the second half of 2020 and in 2021. In 2022, they took off on the upside, reaching fourteen-year highs.
Increasing inflation and post-pandemic demand created a bull market in crude oil and natural gas that turned into a perfect bullish storm in 2022. The war and a dramatic geopolitical shift made dynamics shift from demand to supply-side concerns. The Fed has few if any tools to deal with supply-side economic events, and the only answer could be increasing supplies, which is a challenge in the current environment.
Just as the Fed mischaracterized inflation as “transitory,” US and European policies addressing climate change have played a role in the ascent of hydrocarbon prices. Since energy prices are inflation’s root cause, exploration and drilling could be the only answer to address the economic condition. Fossil fuels continue to power the world, and the price action is screaming that monetary policy has taken a backseat to the energy debacle.
Crude oil at the highest price since 2008- Inventories and product prices support higher highs
Nearby NYMEX WTI futures rose to $130.50 per barrel on March 7 after Russia invaded Ukraine on February 24, and the war escalated.
Source: Barchart
The chart highlights that the WTI futures were sitting at just above the $115 level on May 27. Brent crude oil hit a high of $139.13 in early March.
Source: Barchart
The chart shows the price was at around the $119.43 per barrel level in late May 2022. The all-time 2008 peaks in WTI and Brent were at $147.27 and $147.50.
While crude oil missed an all-time high, gasoline and heating oil hit record prices in 2022.
Source: Barchart
The chart shows that gasoline futures prices reached $4.0640 per gallon wholesale in May, an all-time high. July gasoline was sitting at over the $3.90 level on May 27.
Source: CQG
Heating oil is also a proxy for distillates like diesel and jet fuels. The chart shows the spike to a record peak in distillate in April at $4.7072 per gallon wholesale. Heating oil was also over the $3.90 per gallon level on May 27.
Inventories and US production have supported prices:
Source: US Energy Information Administration
So far, in 2022, US crude oil stockpiles rose by 1.9 million barrels, but the data includes strategic stockpile releases. Meanwhile, gasoline inventories declined by 12.9 million barrels, and distillate stocks fell by 19.9 million barrels from the beginning of 2022 through May 20. Consumers require oil products, and the data supports higher prices. While US daily output rose from 11.7 to 11.9 million barrels per day in 2022, they remain below the March 2020 13.2 mbpd record peak.
Natural gas is also at a fourteen-year high- Inventories, and European prices support the continuation of a very volatile bull market
NYMEX natural gas futures fell to a twenty-five-year low in June 2020, reaching $1.432 per MMBtu.
Source: CQG
The long-term chart shows that natural gas futures moved over six times higher by May 2022, reaching a high of $9.447 per MMBtu and sitting at over the $8.70 level on May 27.
Natural gas inventories are at low levels, with the price at a fourteen-year high.
Source: EIA
At the 1.812 trillion cubic feet level on May 20, natural gas in storage across the US was 17.6% below last year’s level and 15.3% under the five-year average.
Over the past years, natural gas liquefication opened a burgeoning export market for the US energy commodity as it now travels worldwide via ocean vessels. Natural gas’s addressable market expanded far beyond the US pipeline network.
While US natural gas exports have sold LNG to Asian consumers under long-term contracts, the war in Europe and Russian retaliation for sanctions have sent European natural gas prices to record levels.
Source: Barchart
The chart shows that ICE UK natural gas futures rose to the 800 pounds per 1,000 thermals level in March 2022. Before 2021, the all-time high was at the 117 level, and at the 171.61 level on May 27, the price was well above the pre-2021 record peak. Russian natural gas travels by pipeline to European consumers. The Russians have demanded payment in rubles and have cut off “unfriendly” countries that support Ukraine. Moreover, Sweden and Finland’s plans to join NATO only increase Russian export bans, and European consumers are turning to the US for supplies. The bottom line is that
US natural gas has become an international energy market, and the supply shortage is lifting worldwide prices.
In the US, natural gas is heading into the volatile hurricane season. In 2005 and 2008, Hurricanes Katrina and Rita wreaked havoc along the Louisiana coast. The NYMEX futures delivery point is the Henry Hub in Erath, Louisiana, along the Gulf Coast hurricane corridor. Storms in 2008 and 2005 lifted the price to $13.694, and $15.65per MMBtu, respectively. Even if the natural gas market makes it through the annual hurricane season without category four or five storms, the 2022/2023 winter season in worn-torn Europe will likely push prices higher, with $10+ NYMEX futures prices on the horizon.
The four reasons for higher fossil fuel prices- SPR releases are a temporary band-aid
At least four factors favor higher oil and gas prices in late May 2022:
The Biden administration’s green energy initiative favors alternative and renewable fuels while inhibiting fossil fuel production. The US energy policy since early 2021 handed the pricing power to OPEC, the international oil cartel, and Russia. After years of suffering under low prices and lower US demand because of US shale oil and gas production, OPEC+ now controls supplies and owes the US and European consumers no favors. US requests for production increases fell on deaf ears in Riyadh, Moscow, and other production capitals.
The February 4 “no-limits” agreement between China and Russia creates a bifurcation of the world’s nuclear powers, with the US and Europe on the other side. Russia’s invasion of Ukraine could lead to Chinese reunification attempts with Taiwan. Hostilities and geopolitical tensions make hydrocarbons a political tool for the Russians and allied world oil and gas producers.
The crude oil and natural gas prices have been rising despite a COVID-19 lockdown in China. When the Chinese economy reopens, the global energy demand will likely rise, putting more upside pressure on oil and gas prices. Meanwhile, a historic heatwave in India is causing increased energy demand in the world’s second-most populous country. India has not cooperated with the US and Europe with sanctions on Russia.
Even if the US were to shift back to a drill-baby-drill and frack-baby-frack approach to traditional energy production, labor shortages and higher input and equipment prices put upside pressure on production costs. Moreover, the Biden administration has doubled down on its green initiatives, so the potential for production increases remains low.
Instead of increasing production over the past months, President Biden released a historical level of crude oil from the strategic petroleum reserve. Past SPR releases have not weighed on the price in challenging times. Moreover, the US will eventually need to replace its resources, leading to buying in the oil market. The administration released 30 million barrels in early 2022 and has been releasing one million barrels per day from the SPY. The price remains around the $115 per barrel level as the SPR sales have been a short-term, ineffective band-aid. Meanwhile, crack spreads, a real-time demand indicator rose to new all-time highs in May. The level of refining margins are a warning sign that higher crude oil prices are on the horizon.
Drilling and exploration are the answer to supply-side economic woes
The Fed is increasing interest rates and reducing its balance sheet to address the highest inflation in over four decades. The central bank’s toolbox contains monetary policy tools that deal with the economy’s demand-side. In 2020, slashing interest rates and government stimulus encouraged borrowing and spending and inhibited saving.
The Fed now faces supply-side economic factors caused by the war in Ukraine, sanctions, and geopolitical bifurcation. There are few, if any, tools that can deal with the supply-side issues that will continue to fuel inflation. While core inflation data excludes food and energy, food and energy are critical inflationary factors that impact individuals and businesses. Moreover, energy is a crucial cost of goods sold input in all sectors of the economy. Therefore, the only answer to dealing with supply-side inflationary pressures in the current environment is to increase supplies. Just as the Fed woke up from its “transitory” trance, the administration will likely realize that encouraging fossil fuel exploration and drilling is the only route out of the current inflationary spiral. The US is blessed with rich oil reserves in the shale regions, Alaska, and other oil-producing areas. The Marcellus and Utica shale contains quadrillions of cubic feet of natural gas. A hostile Russia and China could cause a reversal of the current path of US energy policy. Rising oil and gas prices will eventually choke all economic growth, and the administration may have no choice but to put climate change initiatives to the side while it deals with the inflationary spiral.
XOP outperforming the stock market in 2022- The trend is your best friend
The war, rising interest rates, a strong US dollar, increasing geopolitical turmoil, and other factors have weighed on the stock market in 2022.
Source: Barchart
The S&P 500 is the most diversified US stock market index. After closing at 4,766.18 on December 31, 2021, the index was 12.8% lower at 4,158.24 on May 27.
The S&P Oil & Gas Exploration and Production ETF product (XOP) holds many of the top US companies that explore, drill, and produce crude oil and natural gas, including:
While the S&P 500 is 12.8% lower in 2022, the XOP performance has been impressive:
Source: Barchart
The XOP closed at $95.87 at the end of 2021. At the $157.04 level on May 27, the ETF was over 63.8% higher this year.
Existing oil and gas exploration, drilling, and production companies have experienced a profit bonanza in 2022, but they are struggling to meet the growing worldwide hydrocarbon requirements. The bull market in oil and gas opens the door for newcomers in exploration and drilling. Dealing with inflation requires addressing the root cause, energy shortages, and high prices. An epiphany that shifts US energy policy is the path of fighting inflation. The supply-side problems are beyond the Fed’s reach, and SPR releases are only a band-aid on a worldwide gapping ax wound.
Written By: Andrew Hecht, on behalf of Maurice Jackson of Proven and Probable.
Any investment involves substantial risks, including, but not limited to, pricing volatility, inadequate liquidity, and the potential complete loss of principal. This document does not in any way constitute an offer or solicitation of an offer to buy or sell any investment, security, or commodity discussed herein, or any security in any jurisdiction in which such an offer would be unlawful under the securities laws of such jurisdiction.
I have been waiting for a couple of years to write this story. For years Lion One has been my biggest holding because the story is so simple to understand. I’ve written half a dozen pieces on the company and the last one I wrote was seven months ago. I called it, Buying Lion One is like Stealing. And few listened. The shares were $.97 at the time. Between then and now the stock has barely edged higher in spite of excellent results such as their May 31 press release showing 584 grams of gold per tonne over 0.30 meters.
I love the chat boards. You get to see just how stupid some people can be in their failed attempts to look smart. Here is what someone said on the CEO.CA Lion One board in response on May 31st.
@NabtaPlayaEgypt Tuvatu continues to be restricted to returning very narrow (1/3 meter average) high grade shoots which unless such systems are spaced relatively close en-echelon, may not be economic to mine. At the rate that drilling returns are coming in, that it could take another 2-3 years minimum to create a significant resource update.
Someone wrote me privately and asked what I thought about the comment. Here is how he posted my response.
@WisGuy1 BM response: “Absolute rubbish. There is a similar mine a stone’s throw away that has produced millions of ounces of gold of similar grade and thickness.”
(Click on images to enlarge)
Investing in Lion One at a profit is about as difficult as learning how to fall off a bike. If you can handle that, you can make money on Lion One, because there is an identical age and grade alkaline deposit located about 40 km to the Northeast called the Vatukoula Gold mine. In production from 1932 the Vatukoula mine has produced over seven million ounces of gold and shows a resource of an additional four million ounces.
The deposits are identical in age, grade and type of deposit. So anyone saying you can’t mine a 584-gram intercept of gold over 0.30 meters is blowing smoke.
Lion One is fully permitted to go into production. They built their own assay lab and it is run to industry standards so assays that might take 2-3 months in Canada take 2-3 days in Fiji. Lion One plans on production to begin in Q3/Q4 of 2023.
Lion One has a current 43-101 showing just over 910,000 ounces of gold at an average of 5.61 g/t to 5.8 g/t. I had a short conversation with Wally Berukoff about the production plans. He is shooting for annual numbers of around 100,000 ounces of gold. That is pretty much the magic number. The market will not take any company seriously below that number.
Because of silly Covid restrictions put in by the government of Australia and Fiji, Lion One has been pretty much delayed for two years. The stock hit a high of $2.67 in July of 2020 based on excellent results before drifting lower to a low a month ago of $.88. I’ll stand by every word I said in my piece from November of last year. Buying Lion One is like stealing. They have the goods.
Wally realized the project could not be run remotely from Perth so last year he put in a brilliant on site team in Fiji. If you watch this video, I think you will agree with me in saying that this is one of the most professional teams I have ever seen in twenty years.
Currently the company has about $34 million in cash in the treasury. They have six drills turning with two more on order. The incredible latest hole shows they have tapped into a feeder pipe. They will continue to drill to upgrade and increase the near surface gold resource for near term production but I expect them to pincushion the feeder to determine all its limits.
The worst thing that can happen to any stock is for shareholders to become bored. Once they do, they bail out at the first opportunity to break even. While the stock going up 17.5% on the news with over two million shares trading on the news, I suspect that was a lot of weak hands selling. Look for a couple of quiet days without a lot of price movement and then for the shares to go higher, perhaps much higher. The incredible results of the past two years tell me the high of $2.67 will be revisited soon. Lion One is still cheap.
Until the news of the incredible latest intercept hit the market my personal shares have been underwater for most of the last two years. My average price was $1.18 and it took this news to bring me into profit. But I have believed this story since I first heard it and continued to add to my position as the price dropped. I have never sold a single share and right now I am really glad.
Lion One is an advertiser. I love the company; I love the management and the team that Wally has put together. It will be a mine. It will be profitable and it will be a hell of a lot bigger than anyone imagines today. I expect majors will be sniffing around soon wanting to pick up a piece of it while it’s still cheap. That isn’t going to last long. As with the case of Newfound Gold, intercepts similar to this do not occur in a vacuum. There will be more record-breaking hits in the future.
I own shares and have participated in PPs in the past and will in the future. I am biased so do your own due diligence.
Lion One Metals LIO-V $1.34 (Jun 06, 2022) LOMLF OTCQX 156 million shares Lion One website
VANCOUVER, British Columbia, May 16, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Rover Metals Corp. (TSXV: ROVR) (OTCQB: ROVMF) (FSE:4XO) (“Rover” or the “Company”) is pleased to provide a recording of the Company’s CEO, Judson Culter, presenting Rover’s high-grade gold exploration story in northern Canada, including an overview of current operations and upcoming milestones, while sharing the most recent Investor Presentation. We invite all investors and other interested parties to watch the recorded webinar at the link below. The discussion also includes Rover’s plans for gold exploration at its new project in the Battle Mountain gold district of Nevada.
About Rover Metals Rover is a precious metals exploration company specialized in North American (Canada and U.S.) precious metal resources, which is currently advancing the gold potential of its existing projects in the Northwest Territories of Canada (60th parallel), and north-central Nevada, USA. The Company owns five gold projects. Phase 3 Exploration at its Cabin Gold Project, 60th Parallel, NT, Canada, commenced in March 2022 and continues through to the date of this release. Phase 1 Exploration at its Tobin Gold Project commenced in May 2022 and continues through to the date of this release. Lastly, the Company, is also awaiting news from the Phase 2 Exploration Program at its Up Town Gold Project, in the Northwest Territories of Canada (60th parallel).
ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS “Judson Culter” Chief Executive Officer and Director
For further information, please contact: Email: info@rovermetals.com Phone: +1 (778) 754-2617
Statement Regarding Forward-Looking Information This news release contains statements that constitute “forward-looking statements.” Such forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause Rover’s actual results, performance or achievements, or developments in the industry to differ materially from the anticipated results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are statements that are not historical facts and are generally, but not always, identified by the words “expects,” “plans,” “anticipates,” “believes,” “intends,” “estimates,” “projects,” “potential” and similar expressions, or that events or conditions “will,” “would,” “may,” “could” or “should” occur. There can be no assurance that such statements prove to be accurate. Actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements, and readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements. Any factor could cause actual results to differ materially from Rover’s expectations. Rover undertakes no obligation to update these forward-looking statements in the event that management’s beliefs, estimates or opinions, or other factors, should change.
THE FORWARD-LOOKING INFORMATION CONTAINED IN THIS NEWS RELEASE REPRESENTS THE EXPECTATIONS OF THE COMPANY AS OF THE DATE OF THIS NEWS RELEASE AND, ACCORDINGLY, IS SUBJECT TO CHANGE AFTER SUCH DATE. READERS SHOULD NOT PLACE UNDUE IMPORTANCE ON FORWARD-LOOKING INFORMATION AND SHOULD NOT RELY UPON THIS INFORMATION AS OF ANY OTHER DATE. WHILE THE COMPANY MAY ELECT TO, IT DOES NOT UNDERTAKE TO UPDATE THIS INFORMATION AT ANY PARTICULAR TIME EXCEPT AS REQUIRED IN ACCORDANCE WITH APPLICABLE LAWS.
NEITHER THE TSX VENTURE EXCHANGE NOR ITS REGULATION PROVIDER (AS THAT TERM IS DEFINED IN THE POLICIES OF THE TSX VENTURE EXCHANGE) ACCEPTS RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE ADEQUACY OF THIS RELEASE.
Provenance Gold Corp. is a precious metals exploration company with a focus on gold and silver resources within North America. The Company currently holds interests in three properties in Nevada, and one in eastern Oregon, USA. These properties include the 5,160 acre White Rock property situated in Elko County within the Delano Mining District, the 540 acre Mineral Hill property situated in Eureka County and the 2,024 acre Silver Bow property situated in Nye County in addition to the Eldorado property located in eastern Oregon.
WHITE ROCK The White Rock project spans 5,160 acres and covers an extensive gold system, the core of which hosts gold mineralization that extends across an area at least 3.2 Km by 1.6Km. Provenance believes the geology of the White Rock mineral system is similar to the geology of the nearby Black Pine mineral system in southern Idaho. At Black Pine, the gold system is hosted in a complex of thrust faults. Provenance believes a similar thrust complex underlies the White Rock mineralization, and the postulated thrust complex will be a future exploration target.
ELDORADO The Eldorado property will receive early focus in 2022 as historic data suggests it could hold up-to-a multimillion-ounce gold resource. The company is currently in an early stage of data acquisition, verification and compliance that will result in the completion of a National Instrument 43-101 resource technical report.
Corporate Office Provenance Gold Corp. 2200 – 885 W Georgia St. Vancouver, BC, V6C 3E8 +1-250-516-2455 email@provenancegold.com
Proven and Probable Where we deliver Mining Insights & Bullion Sales. I’m a licensed broker for Miles Franklin Precious Metals Investments (https://www.milesfranklin.com/contact/) Where we provide unlimited options to expand your precious metals portfolio, from physical delivery, offshore depositories, and precious metals IRA’s. Call me directly at (855) 505-1900 or you may email maurice@milesfranklin.com.
Proven and Probable provides insights on mining companies, junior miners, gold mining stocks, uranium, silver, platinum, zinc & copper mining stocks, silver and gold bullion in Canada, the US, Australia, and beyond.
10 HIGH-VALUE GOLD PROJECTS: Ten properties cover a total of 1091 km² and 106 historic gold mines and prospects within the highly mineralized but relatively under explored New England Orogenic Terrane and prolifically mineralized Lachlan Orogenic Belt. Mineralizaton is mostly of an orogenic type associated with large scale structures making for large attractive targets and lesser intrusion related types. Potential for listwanite hosted gold mineralization of the Bralorne and Motherlode type along the Peel-Manning suture zone.
4 HIGH-VALUE SILVER PROJECTS: Four properties cover a total of 289 km² and 31 historic gold-silver mines and prospects within the prolifically mineralized but relatively under explored New England Orogenic Terrane. All properties remain largely under explored since their discovery in the early 1900’s. Little to no historic drilling and almost no exploration Several styles of mineralization present including intrusion related vein stock work targets and low sulphidation epithermal types.
Proven and Probable Where we deliver Mining Insights & Bullion Sales. I’m a licensed broker for Miles Franklin Precious Metals Investments (https://www.milesfranklin.com/contact/) Where we provide unlimited options to expand your precious metals portfolio, from physical delivery, offshore depositories, and precious metals IRA’s. Call me directly at (855) 505-1900 or you may email maurice@milesfranklin.com. Proven and Probable provides insights on mining companies, junior miners, gold mining stocks, uranium, silver, platinum, zinc & copper mining stocks, silver and gold bullion in Canada, the US, Australia, and beyond.
Labrador Gold Intersects 54.17 G/T Au Over 0.95m at the Big Vein Target
TORONTO, May 05, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Labrador Gold Corp. (TSX.V:LAB | OTCQX:NKOSF | FNR: 2N6) (“LabGold” or the “Company”) is pleased to announce the continued extension of the Big Vein Zone to the southwest with an intersection of 54.17 g/t Au over 0.95m as well as the intersection of near surface gold mineralization from initial diamond drilling of the Pristine target at its 100% controlled Kingsway project near Gander, Newfoundland. These holes were drilled as part of the Company’s ongoing 100,000 metre drill program at Kingsway.
At Big Vein, the intercept of 54.17g/t Au over 0.95m in hole K-22-122 contains visible gold and is the furthest intersection of the Big Vein Zone to the southwest drilled to date. This extends the strike length of the zone to 320m and it remains open in this direction. Hole K-22-116 targeted the HTC zone and intersected 14.67 g/t over a 1m interval that also contained visible gold.
At the Pristine target the first six holes all intersected significant near surface gold mineralization, including hole K-21-109 that assayed 3.55 g/t Au over 2.33m from 17.15m that contained visible gold and hole K-21-100 that intersected 3.89 g/t Au over 3m from 53m downhole.
The initial assays from the Pristine target, located approximately 800m northeast of Big Vein along the Appleton Fault Zone, are very similar to the first reported holes from Big Vein that assayed 1.11 g/t Au over 5.50m, 5.0 g/t Au over 0.9m and 2.26 g/t Au over 7.0m in Hole K-21-01 and 1.72 g/t Au over 3.0min Hole K-21-02 (see news release dated May 10, 2021).
The stratigraphy encountered is also very similar to Big Vein, with the mineralized Doyle Zone defined by a network of shear veining that is associated with a highly fractured sandstone in fault contact with a deformed black graphitic shale.
“We are very pleased with the initial results from the Pristine target which proves our interpretation of the existence of a gold occurrence not too far up ice from the pristine gold grains found in till. Pristine is the third of three targets tested to date to show significant near surface gold assays, a result of our systematic exploration strategy at Kingsway and the prospectivity of the Appleton Fault Zone,” said Roger Moss, President and CEO of the LabGold. “We have named the mineralized zone at Pristine the Doyle Zone after our friend and strong supporter James Doyle, who passed away suddenly, and much too early, in late 2020. James helped and advised us in every financing since the start of Labrador Gold in 2017, and gave us support in the market, often when no-one else was interested. James would have loved witnessing all the exploration activity in central Newfoundland over the last two years and would have been working the telephones daily. We will endeavour to ensure that the Doyle Zone lives up to the big personality of its namesake.”
Pristine Target and Appleton Fault Zone
The visible gold found in hole K-21-109 drilled into the Doyle Zone is the third occurrence of visible gold found, after Big Vein and Golden Glove, along the Appleton Fault Zone. The Doyle Zone is the furthest northeast, approximately 4.5km from Golden Glove which lies close to the southern property boundary. The Doyle Zone lies to the east of a fault with a major damage zone approximately 30m wide which may represent the expression of the Appleton Fault Zone in this area. Further work is necessary to determine if this is, in fact, the the case or if it is a major splay of the Appleton Fault Zone. In either case it is a significant structure associated with gold mineralization in the Doyle Zone.
The most detailed exploration along the Appleton Fault Zone to date has been over an approximately 2km section from just southwest of Big Vein to the Pristine target, leaving the remaining 10km length of the fault zone relatively underexplored. This will be a major focus of LabGold’s upcoming field program.
Hole ID
from (m)
to (m)
width (m)
Au (g/t)
Target
K-22-142
96
100
4
3.44
Big Vein
including
97
99
2
5.37
K-22-125
70
77
7
1.72
HTC
K-22-124
264
266
2
2.03
Big Vein
283
284
1
7.68
K-22-122
99
114
15
1.46
Big Vein
123.33
124.28
0.95
54.17*
K-22-116
178
179
1
14.67*
HTC
194
196
2
4.18
207
208
1
3.25
K-22-143
75
82
7
1.53
Pristine
K-22-123
23
24
1
1.98
Pristine
43
44
1
2.3
K-22-119
31
33
2
1.92
Pristine
K-21-109
17.15
18.3
2.3
3.55*
Pristine
47.45
50.45
3
1.31
54.45
59.45
5
1.48
K-21-107
48
52
4
1.16
Pristine
86
89
3
1.58
96
103
7
1.81
K-21-100
53
56
3
3.89
Pristine
Table 1. Summary of Assay Results * Interval contains visible gold. All intersections are downhole length as there is insufficient Information to calculate true width.
True widths of the reported intersections have yet to be calculated. Assays are uncut. Samples of HQ split core are securely stored prior to shipping to Eastern Analytical Laboratory in Springdale, Newfoundland for assay. Eastern Analytical is an ISO/IEC17025 accredited laboratory. Samples are routinely analyzed for gold by standard 30g fire assay with atomic absorption finish as well as by ICP-OES for an additional 34 elements. Samples containing visible gold are assayed by metallic screen/fire assay, as are any samples with fire assay results greater than 1g/t Au. The company submits blanks and certified reference standards at a rate of approximately 5% of the total samples in each batch.
Qualified Person
Roger Moss, PhD., P.Geo., President and CEO of LabGold, a Qualified Person in accordance with Canadian regulatory requirements as set out in NI 43-101, has read and approved the scientific and technical information that forms the basis for the disclosure contained in this release.
The Company gratefully acknowledges the Newfoundland and Labrador Ministry of Natural Resources’ Junior Exploration Assistance (JEA) Program for its financial support for exploration of the Kingsway property.
About Labrador Gold Labrador Gold is a Canadian based mineral exploration company focused on the acquisition and exploration of prospective gold projects in Eastern Canada.
In early 2020, Labrador Gold acquired the option to earn a 100% interest in the Kingsway project in the Gander area of Newfoundland. The three licenses comprising the Kingsway project cover approximately 12km of the Appleton Fault Zone which is associated with gold occurrences in the region, including those of New Found Gold immediately to the south of Kingsway. Infrastructure in the area is excellent located just 18km from the town of Gander with road access to the project, nearby electricity and abundant local water. LabGold is drilling a projected 50,000 metres targeting high-grade epizonal gold mineralization along the Appleton Fault Zone following encouraging early results. The Company has approximately $28 million in working capital and is well funded to carry out the planned program.
The Hopedale property covers much of the Florence Lake greenstone belts that stretches over 60 km. The belt is typical of greenstone belts around the world but has been underexplored by comparison. Work to date by Labrador Gold show gold anomalies in rocks, soils and lake sediments over a 3 kilometre section of the northern portion of the Florence Lake greenstone belt in the vicinity of the known Thurber Dog gold showing where grab samples assayed up to 7.8g/t gold. In addition, anomalous gold in soil and lake sediment samples occur over approximately 40 km along the southern section of the greenstone belt (see news release dated January 25 th 2018 for more details). Labrador Gold now controls approximately 40km strike length of the Florence Lake Greenstone Belt.
The Company has 156,439,526 common shares issued and outstanding and trades on the TSX Venture Exchange under the symbol LAB.
Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release .
Forward-Looking Statements: This news release contains forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties, which may cause actual results to differ materially from the statements made. When used in this document, the words “may”, “would”, “could”, “will”, “intend”, “plan”, “anticipate”, “believe”, “estimate”, “expect” and similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements. Such statements reflect our current views with respect to future events and are subject to risks and uncertainties. Many factors could cause our actual results to differ materially from the statements made, including those factors discussed in filings made by us with the Canadian securities regulatory authorities. Should one or more of these risks and uncertainties, such as actual results of current exploration programs, the general risks associated with the mining industry, the price of gold and other metals, currency and interest rate fluctuations, increased competition and general economic and market factors, occur or should assumptions underlying the forward looking statements prove incorrect, actual results may vary materially from those described herein as intended, planned, anticipated, or expected. We do not intend and do not assume any obligation to update these forward-looking statements, except as required by law. Shareholders are cautioned not to put undue reliance on such forward-looking statements .
Joining us for a conversation or legendary Rick Rule of Rule Investment Media and David Cole of EMX Royalty as will discover why mineral royalties are powerful financial instruments.
About EMX Royalty: EMX Royalty Corporation has a long-standing track record of success in exploration discovery, royalty generation, royalty acquisition, and strategic investments. Our diversified, three-pronged business approach provides exposure to multiple upside opportunities while minimizing the impact on EMX’s treasury.
EMX’s business model is designed to efficiently manage the risks inherent to the minerals exploration and mining industry. Key elements and resulting advantages of our unique approach are: We organically generate royalties through low-cost property acquisition and early-stage exploration to build value, and then develop partnerships with quality companies to advance the projects, with EMX retaining a royalty interest and receiving pre-production payments. Our organic royalty growth is supplemented by purchases of royalties from other parties, as well as strategic investments. Cash flow from royalties, advance royalties, and other property payments are supplemented by returns from strategic investments and provide “self-funding” operating capital for our ongoing business initiatives. Using this model, we sustainably grow the royalty portfolio, with minimal dilution to our shareholders. EMX’s royalty and property portfolio spanning five continents and consists of a balanced mix of precious metal, base metal, and other assets.
Joining us for a conversation are two of the most prolific names in the natural resource space, both legends in their own right, as we are joined today with Rick Rule of Rule Investment Media and David Cole of EMX Royalty.
Maurice Jackson:
I must say it’s an absolute delight to be speaking with you both today, as I hold you both in the highest regard personally and professionally, as we plan to discover why mineral royalties are powerful financial instruments. We have a lot of ground to cover today, gentlemen, so let’s get to it.
Maurice Jackson:
Mr. Rule, you have a proven track record of nearly 50 years as a wealth builder for you and your clients through resource stocks. What are you seeing right now that gives you the courage and conviction that resource stocks may present a once in a lifetime opportunity?
Rick Rule:
First of all, you’re always not wise to contradict your host, but I’ve had a couple of these opportunities in my lifetime. So I don’t think it is a once in lifetime opportunity. But I, as you point out, have been lucky enough to see the opportunity before that’s in front of me now. And it was extremely pleasant to participate in. Natural resource bull markets are wonderful financial events if you participate in them early enough.
Rick Rule:
And my own belief, is that right now we are in the latter stage of the beginning of a precious metals bull market. And we’re probably in an earlier stage in a broader natural resource bull market. And the idea to participate in two real bull markets where the outcome is a probability, not a possibility, is extraordinary.
Rick Rule:
It is seldom before in my life have the fundamental factors that are in front of me come together simultaneously that has given me the courage of my convictions with regards to the probabilities of the outcome, is what I’m talking about. And that’s what feels good to me now.
Maurice Jackson:
Given the reasons you just convey to us, investors and speculators alike are seeking prudent ways to preserve their capital, and if possible, sweeten the deal with the delivery of some nice returns. About a decade ago, you introduced me a business model that offers investors both of these virtues, and I’m referring to the concept of mineral royalties. For someone new to the conversation, would you please share what are mineral royalties and why are mineral royalty companies a strategic part of your portfolio?
Rick Rule:
What I’ve learned over time is that having an economic interest in a revenue stream where my gross is my net is a very good thing. What a royalty is, is a part of the revenue stream of a mine or an oil well or something else. But you don’t bear any establishing capital risk, any sustaining capital risk or any operating cost risk.
Rick Rule:
So to the extent, as an example, that you disagree with a management team over some of their expenses, it doesn’t matter. You just get the check. Your gross is your net. A mineral royalty too is a timeless interest pretty much. And that means that most of the surprises that you can have are pleasant surprises.
Rick Rule:
If you are lucky enough to own a royalty on a tier one mineral discovery, my experience has always been that big discoveries yield surprises and small deposits yield surprises too. But big discoveries yield pleasant surprises, and small discoveries yield unpleasant surprises.
Rick Rule:
So a mineral royalty, which is established on a, let’s say, a 1 to 1.5 million ounce gold deposit, which feels attractive over 30 years might end up producing two, two and a half million dollars. The additional exploration expense that goes into establishing the lengthening of your royalty, the operating costs, the sustaining capital costs, the taxes, all that stuff doesn’t matter. Remember on a royalty for the most part, your gross is your net, which is very pleasant.
David Cole:
With regards to mineral royalties, what also comes to mind is the concept of optionality. Mineral royalties are phenomenal financial instruments, particularly in an inflationary environment, for the very reasons that you laid out and that discovery optionality and advancement of engineering techniques, all of which are multiplicative, make royalties fantastic instruments to hold.
Maurice Jackson:
And David, if you would expand on that word optionality, that may be a new term for readers.
David Cole:
Sure. So that’s the chance that things might go super well or super bad. And the couple of guys, Black Scholes got a Nobel prize for defining a formula, how to calculate what optionality is worth and options trade in the marketplace. And with respect to royalties, what we’re talking about is the chance that things can go well.
David Cole:
And as Rick pointed out, the cost that goes into the exploration and discovery work, development work, production work et cetera, et cetera, is born by the counterparty, not by the royalty holders. So we’re exposed to all that upside optionality. And that’s one of the things that makes a portfolio of royalty so powerful.
Maurice:
Mr. Cole, you’re the CEO of the royalty generator and I’m referring to EMX Royalty. Please introduce us to the value proposition that EMX Royalty presents for investors along with your current share price.
David Cole:
Well, I’m more than happy to talk about that. And first of all, it all revolves around this concept the royalties are fantastic instruments, and different royalty companies accumulate royalties in different ways. There’s royalty financings to advance mine projects. There’s purchasing of existing royalties. And then there’s royalty generation.
David Cole:
We love to generate royalties through the prospect generation business model, acquiring prospected mineral rights around the world, adding value by doing good geology and coalescing data, selling that onto an industry, hungry for discovery opportunity. And as Rick said, I’ve never seen an industry more hungry for discovery opportunity than we have today across the periodic table.
David Cole:
And we love doing that. We love selling them on for cash shares and of course, a royalty. We also buy royalties to augment that portfolio, to create that portfolio effect and to further advance the optionality.
Maurice Jackson:
And you do that organically. That’s what I find very intriguing about your business model.
David Cole:
That is our defining factor. That’s our hedgehog, and we’ve sold by example, Maurice, 83 projects in the last four years. We have track record of just selling projects right and left. And when I’m talking about selling projects, what I mean is we stake mining claims, or we acquire mining licenses from governments, add value, and then move them onto a counterparty, junior companies, and major companies.
David Cole:
And in the junior company deals, it’s commonly cash payments and share payments. We’ve done exceedingly well with the share payments over our nearly 20-year history and always a production royalty at the end. With major companies, which we also love to do business with, we’ve done six deals with Rio Tinto, the largest mining company in the world the last four years, as one example. And there, it’s more focused on the inground expenditures, cash payments, and of course the royalty at the back end.
David Cole:
And we’re just delighted to have the capital across our portfolio being expended by our counterparties, but also their expertise employed across that portfolio, which is enhancing this concept of discovery optionality, which is where the big win comes from. Of course, there’s commodity price optionality as well, which is a hot topic in an inflationary environment.
Maurice Jackson:
Now, before we delve into specific projects, multi-pronged question. Mr. Cole, how many projects are in the EMX property bank and how many of those projects are now in the harvest mode of generating royalties?
David Cole:
So when you use the word bank, that’s probably a good word to use. So we have approximately 300 mineral property positions globally, more than a dozen countries. We’ve always taken a broad approach. We’ve cast a broad net to find value, and that’s a very strong base of pyramid.
David Cole:
And then EMX does have half dozen producing assets or assets that are just about to become producing at the top of the pyramid. And we’re at the transitionary point where we’re going from a junior company that’s been building a portfolio of mineral property positions and royalties to one that has strong cash flow. And we’re right at that tipping point this year.
Maurice Jackson:
And we’re going to highlight five of those here in just a minute. Rick, in the resource space, precious metals seemed to dominate the conversation. But I’d like to get your thought on base metals and in particular, the outlook for copper.
Rick Rule:
I think the two easiest things to think about is that the driver for copper is the ascent of humankind to the extent that there are almost eight billion people on earth and more people every day. And to the extent that humankind has a responsibility, I believe, to take the poorest half of humanity and increase their wellbeing, that automatically comes to copper.
Rick Rule:
Many readers may not know that 1.2 billion people on earth have no access to electricity. And another 2 billion people on earth have access to intermittent or unaffordable electricity. We’ve done a great job as humankind the last 30 years in increasing the material a lot of the poorest of the poor. But we have a lot more to do, and an important transition from a subsistence lifestyle to a more fulfilling lifestyle, at least part of the material translation is electricity, and electricity is copper.
Rick Rule:
At the same time that we need to continue to increase access to electricity for the poorest half of humanity, the other half of humanity wants to increase their electrical consumption too electric vehicles, power, gadgets, all those types of things. All requires copper. While this happens, in other words, while demand for copper is inexorably higher and where the rate of increase is probably increasing, we have under-invested as an industry in copper exploration production for 30 or 35 years.
Rick Rule:
The truth is most of the world’s great copper mines are a bit like me. They’re old, they’re past their prime. Bingham Canyon has been producing for 120 years. Chuquicamata has been producing for 105 years. Grasberg has producing for my whole lifetime, which is to say 69 years. You don’t stand at the top of a pit, throw in fertilizer and water and have it grow more copper. That’s not the way it works.
Source: https://wikitravel.org/en/Chuquicamata
Rick Rule:
So five years from now, what you see is that these old behemoths become longer and longer and longer of tooth. While as a consequence of three decades of under investment and exploration production, there’s nothing to take their place. And if there is something to take their place, increasingly, there are political and economic roadblocks put in front of them. There’s a wonderful copper deposit here in the United States called Resolution that the world’s been talking about for 20 years. And it’s probably 10 years away from permitting and production, not in time to make any difference in a supply outlook.
Rick Rule:
So, to the extent that one is able to make a copper discovery, the appetite among the major copper producers to buy these projects, to replace the old behemoths, which are long of tooth. And the incredible interest that governments and consumers have about increasing the material wellbeing of their citizens, which is a fancy way of saying increasing demand for copper, means that an intelligently constructed copper exploration royalty development program, I say intelligently crafted. Part of the problem in the last 30 years has been that not only haven’t we invested enough money, we’ve invested most of the money that we’ve invested stupidly.
Rick Rule:
So we’ve been both unwitting and unscrupulous in the mining business with regards to copper. But the result of that is that successful efforts in the copper business pay absolutely tremendous rewards and will continue to, I think. Most people in the west when they think about copper, they think about Tesla or something like that. And that’s fine. That’s wonderful.
Maurice, I’ll point out if you don’t mind that Dr. Richard Schodde is our consulting and advisor on the mineral economic side out of Australia, MinEx Consulting. He believes that conservatively, the planet will consume as much copper in the forthcoming 20 to 25 years as has been consumed by humanity throughout all the history cumulatively.
David Cole:
And when you think about that with respect to the under-capitalized situation in the copper industry, it’s very, very dynamic situation. It’s very difficult not to be extraordinarily bullish copper. And Rick mentioned that Bingham Canyon Mine, one of the largest open pit mines in the world is where open pit mining was first invented. The globe currently consumes the entire endowment of that deposit annually. So it’s an interesting situation for the copper business.
Maurice Jackson:
Sticking with copper, Mr. Cole, let’s visit the EMX property banking, and get acquainted with some of your royalties beginning in Chile at the Caserones Mine where EMX recently increased its position there. Tell us about the royalty and why the increase.
David Cole:
So well, first of all, as said, we’re very bullish copper, have always believed in having a diversified portfolio and copper has been a key component to that. Scott Close who heads our investor relations team, likes to call Caserones, Casherones. This is a very long live asset. Officially, it’s a 17-year-mine life, but as geologists, we’ve looked at it. We see 25-plus years of production here just from the existing deposit as it is open ended at depth, and copper cutoff grades have a long history of decreasing over time because of these various factors that we’re pointing out.
David Cole:
So this is a very long lived assets. It’s like having a 30-year bond that pays in pounds of copper. And we do see a little bit of upside with respect to production coming from that, but we’re very bullish copper prices. And we did have the opportunity to buy at a fair valuation, a 0.4% royalty on that deposit. And then the opportunity came along for us to augment that as additional family members who owned this royalty wanted to sell and liquidate.
“We have under-invested as an industry in copper exploration production for 30 or 35 years”. ~ Rick Rule
David Cole:
And so we had the chance to increase that, and we did it as that next bite was larger than we could afford by ourselves. We brought in Franco-Nevada as a partner, and we have a huge amount of respect for Franco-Nevada. They’re the leader in the mining royalty space. And if you would’ve asked me who’s the best company to be a strategic investor in EMX, I would’ve said Franco-Nevada.
David Cole:
Very happy to get them across the line and become a shareholder in EMX, part and parcel to us taking that further bite and increasing our exposure to Caserones. And that’s not our only copper exposure in the world. Of course, we have a royalty on the Timok Project, which is one of the largest ongoing copper-gold discoveries on the planet.
Maurice Jackson:
Why would Franco Nevada the biggest, most successful company in the mineral royalty sector want shares in EMX?
“I think there is going to be an increasing demand for electrification for well to do people. But the real opportunity is increasing the material living standards for the bottom half of humanity. We have an obligation to do it. We’ve done a good job of it over the last three decades, it’s going to continue. And the driver is going to be copper”. ~ Rick Rule
David Cole:
And we’re delighted to have them on board. They’ve been giving us accolades for the royalty generation work for many years. We know these folks well from our history. I used to work with some of them at Newmont Mining Corporation, and they would come up to me. David Harquail once said, “Dave, we believe that your royalty generation work is topnotch and hats off to you for doing that.”
David Cole:
And ultimately, it was that that carried him across the line and got them to invest in the company. But ironically, it was associated with a royalty purchase. But Franco Nevada recognized the power and the integration of buying royalties as well as growing them organically to build your portfolio.
Maurice:
All right, I’ve thrown you some softballs here. Here’s a tough one. EMX has recently deployed a substantial amount of capital lately acquiring cash flowing and/or soon to be cash flowing royalties and taking on debt to do so. Does this really make sense in the long-term health of the company? I mean, is this really in the best interest of the shareholders?
David Cole:
Absolutely, absolutely. So, our calculated risk adjusted internal rate of return on the monies that we’ve invested into purchasing these portfolio of royalties vastly exceeds the cost of that capital. And speaking of cost of capital, one of the important goals here is to populate the top of the pyramid, increasing our cash flow, and enabling us to move across that border from a junior company to a mid-tier company with strong cash flows, which will significantly reduce our cost of capital as we able to form a relationship with major senior banks. And we’re in those discussions now.
David Cole:
So this is all part of our strategy to prudently grow our portfolio. And particularly in an inflationary environment, paying a 7% coupon rate to borrow some money to buy things that have double digit internal rates of return is smart business.
Maurice:
Rick, as a shareholder, how significant is it when you see Franco-Nevada paying a premium to own a 3.5% stake in EMX?
Rick Rule:
I like good partners. I’ve been a Franco-Nevada shareholder on and off because of course they disappeared for a while since 1982, and I hold them in very high regard. Dave has done a good job, I think, of attracting other sophisticated shareholders in EMX.
Rick Rule:
But certainly, I’m attracted to EMX as a shareholder. What price they paid is really a matter of their own concern, the fact that they paid a premium. I think if you look at the nature of the royalty transaction, the premium was explained.
“That’s what separates us from the crowd. And that’s why we’re the only junior or mid-tier royalty company that Franco Nevada has ever bought stock in and hold stock in currently“. ~ David Cole
Rick Rule:
But the truth is that in Franco-Nevada, EMX has a partner that should they have an opportunity that is time sensitive and attractive, they have a partner that could stroke a $250 million check or a $350 million check overnight without blinking an eye. And a partner that has the sophistication and the courage to be able to do that, that’s what’s important.
Maurice:
Rick, we just highlighted copper. What is your outlook on the opportunity before us in nickel?
Rick Rule:
Well, nickel, you could also say is also an electric metal. It’s in tighter supply than copper. Most of the marginal nickel production that we’ve seen in the world in the last 30 years is lateritic nickel, which is nickel that occurs in tropical environments, often Indonesia and the Philippines. And the production of lateritic nickel is extremely environmentally degrading and also extremely energy intensive. So you need to break down nickel between lateritic nickel and primary sulfide deposits.
Rick Rule:
Primary nickel sulfide deposits are very rare and extraordinarily valuable. A primary nickel mine, even at today’s nickel, makes an awful lot of money. In the very near term, the nickel price looks inexorably higher because the world’s most important nickel producer is Russia. The political difficulties between Russia and the rest of the world, including the fact that because Russia has been kicked out of the SWIFT banking systems means that even if they sell nickel, they can’t get paid for it in any currency that they can spend.
Rick Rule:
But looking beyond that, the uses of nickel in batteries, in stainless steel, in metallurgical applications, nickel is tied very, very directly like copper to the ascent of humankind. But primary nickel deposits are even rarer than high-quality primary copper deposits.
Maurice Jackson:
David, about two weeks ago, EMX announced that it had made a strategic investment in privately held Premium Nickel Resources, which holds a trio of defunct nickel, copper and cobalt mines in Botswana of all places. Now, this seems to be a big deviation from the EMX business model. What’s going on there?
David Cole:
Well, it’s actually a key part of our business model to make strategic investments. And so it’s quite synergistic with our royalty generation work. We’ve got smart economic challenges around the world, identifying properties to acquire. And occasionally, they come across an opportunity to invest in a company where we cannot, not buy the stock.
David Cole:
And you may recall the investment that we had in Russia of all places, that we liquidated at a substantial profit. That was a strategic investment in an ongoing copper and gold development story. We did exceedingly well on and happy to have our money out of Russia back in 2018 and have not gone back, I’ll point out.
David Cole:
But that’s an example of us making strategic investments. Our track record over a nearly 20-year pathway here has been quite good. We’ve netted out over 50 million USD from our strategic investments. And we’ve had a couple bumps on the chin. We’re comfortable with taking risk and the wins have far outweighed the losses.
David Cole:
This is our next major strategic investment, absolutely delighted for the very reasons that Rick pointed out to have that nickel exposure. And we think that the premium nickel asset in Botswana is going to be in the top five nickel sulfide systems on the planet. We’re very bullish about that opportunity.
Maurice Jackson:
Multimillion dollar question here, can you provide us with an update on the situation with Zijin Mining in Serbia at the giant Timok copper-gold mine?
David Cole:
Everybody wants to know the answer to that. Of course, I can selectively disclose information, but I can say that we are in negotiations with Zijin. They’ve been quite professional and communicative to work with, and I’m confident that we’ll come to a mutual agreement.
Maurice Jackson:
All right. The Balya silver-lead-zinc mine in Turkey, it’s been ramping up for a while now. What’s the latest there?
David Cole:
So the exploration results have been phenomenal. The deposit continues to grow. They’ve decided that they will build a second mill, which we’re delighted that will substantially enhance our cash flow long-term. And they are entering into commercial production now. I expect the first royalty check to come in within the next couple of months, actually. And I do expect production to ramp up from multiple underground headings over the course of the next five years. Five years from now, it’s going to be a substantial annual royalty for us.
Maurice Jackson:
Can you give us an update on the Gediktepe gold oxide and polymetallic mine? And when will this royalty start cash flowing?
David Cole:
That one’s also just a couple months away, Maurice. And so that’s an interesting royalty in that the royalty on the upper oxide zone, which is gold and silver enriched, is 10%. That was part of the sales price when the predecessor to SSR sold that on to the current operator, Lidya, and that 10% kicks in after 10,000 ounces have been poured. And we’re right at 4,000 ounces right now. They are in production, they’re placing ore on the pad. They did have a tough winter season, so that slowed them down a little bit, but they’re only a few weeks behind.
David Cole:
And we’re seeing greater in production as they head into summer. As soon as they cross the 10,000th ounce, which will be just a few months out, probably June or July, then we’ll start to receive royalty payments on that, and that is a 10% royalty. And that’s on the upper oxide zone, which we believe will have about a five-year mine life. And then it goes into the polymetallic sulfide zone, which is dominated by zinc and copper, two commodities we love. And that’s a 2% royalty in perpetuity on that zone.
David Cole:
So that’s another key asset within the portfolio that starts to cash flow in a few months.
Maurice Jackson:
Now that 10% is just remarkable. With all the new royalty cash flow and pending royalties poised to begin paying, what will the cash flow look like for EMX for the remainder of 2022?
David Cole:
Yep. So we will be coming out with guidance in two quarters, and we’re diligently working on that. And our bankers are talking to us about that. And that’s part of our shelf filing that we’re also in the process of, and this is all part of our maturing from a junior company that’s been building a portfolio to a mid-tier company with strong cash flows. And so, as soon as we provide that guidance, Maurice, you’ll be one of the first to know.
Maurice Jackson:
Right, looking forward to it. Leaving the property bank, Rick, I know you have a very stringent, selective criteria for companies that make the grade, if you will, before you will commit your capital. Now, we just heard Mr. Cole referenced that EMX has five attractive royalties and more on the way along with an attractive share price, in my opinion.
Maurice Jackson:
That all sounds compelling, but you taught me years ago that the competitive advantage for a shareholder is found in the board of directors, management, and technical team. Why are the people equally, if not more, important to you as a shareholder than the given project, and specifically the team that comprises EMX royalty?
Rick Rule:
Bad people can screw up good rocks. If the wrong team controls the cash flow, they get it and the shareholders don’t, simple as that. The second thing of course, is that luck favors the trained observer. And you need luck in exploration. Dave has done a great job over 20 years. He’s a geologist himself, but I would say his true talent is hiring and motivating and keeping very good geologists.
Rick Rule:
So, what has always attracted me to EMX has been the technical IQ per dollar of market cap. The fact that although the team has done a decent job of buying royalties, what I think the real secret sauce is the fact that they have generated royalties by generating 300 exploration concepts that other people have bought into. It can take a decade for prospect generation to work for you. But prospect generation, in my own portfolio, has been by far the most capital efficient exploration speculation that I have done. What the EMX team did is they figured out a better payments mechanism.
Rick Rule:
For most of my life, I invested in teams that had great intellectual capital that generated projects, and they ended up getting a carried interest in the project. The problem with that is that they sometimes didn’t have the ability to carry the load as the project went into production. And well, they had a lot of exploration expertise, they maybe didn’t have construction or development expertise.
Rick Rule:
What David did is he really simplified the way they got paid. Rather than get paid in the ability to own on a subsidized basis, a minority interested in operation that they may not know how to operate, he developed a circumstance where they got paid a carried interest by way of a royalty, which is ultimately a safer and probably a more valuable instrument.
Rick Rule:
The same intellectual capital that he has hired and deploys in the exploration business can be used to both source and evaluate either merchant banking opportunities, which is to say those companies that he invests in strategically or royalties. So I think it’s important that the exploration IQ that has been assembled within EMX turns out to be a strategic advantage in moving their asset base forward.
Maurice Jackson:
Now, Rick, we’ve heard you convey the merits of owning mineral royalties, and we’ve heard the virtues that EMX royalty presents to the market. Before we close, what did I forget to ask?
Rick Rule:
Well, I think, the important question to ask any company that’s beginning to mature is how are the capital allocation decisions made. What would be as, an example, the capital cost assumptions around the debt that they took on and what sort of pro forma delta would occur between cost of capital to return on capital employed? How strategically will the decision be made internally as to whether to emphasize the merchant banking business, the royalty generation business, or the royalty acquisition business?
Rick Rule:
And then finally, I think, the royalty acquisition business is extremely competitive. I would ask Dave to describe the competitive advantage that he may feel against the 30-some odd other players in the mineral royalty space.
Maurice Jackson:
All right, Mr. Cole. So, you know what’s up for our next interview.
David Cole:
It boils down to our alpha, which is on the technical side. And we believe that astute business decisions are rooted in solid technical understanding. And we’ve always had a strong technical team here at EMX to drive those business decisions so that we can have that astute allocation of capital.
Maurice Jackson:
Last question for you, Rick, tell us about the Rule Symposium, which will be held this year at the beautiful Boca Raton Resort in Boca Raton, Florida, July 26th through the 29th.
And I thought you’d never ask, Maurice. As both of you know, or all of you, frankly, to have put on natural resource investing conferences, the majority of those, the live ones took place in Vancouver, BC. A couple years ago because of COVID, we had to discontinue that one for a while. And we’d like to bring it back to BC, but the truth is with the COVID circumstance and public health administrations and two countries doing their level best to thwart my franchise, we decided to bring the conference down to the United States because most of the attendees are, in fact, American.
Rick Rule:
We searched around the country for a resort that was of the same quality that we expected, and one that had the facilities that we needed. And we found one in Boca Raton. The Boca Resort has a long and fabled history. It’s just undergone a spectacular renovation. They put hundreds of millions of dollars in it. They’re renting rooms to our attendees for $295 a night. Their rack rate is about a thousand, truly spectacular location.
Rick Rule:
The conference itself has a long and storied history. We’ve always had great speakers. We have Jim Rickards, Danielle DiMartino Booth, Doug Casey, the normal sort of gurus. But what’s always made our conference set apart is really two things. One, we have always had what I call the living legends, which is to say, we’ve always had the speakers, people who have built multi-billion dollar businesses in natural resources from scratch. It isn’t all gurus. There’s a lot of jockeys there and they are great jockeys. We’ll have that this year.
Rick Rule:
In addition to that, every exhibitor at our conference is owned either in Sprott managed accounts or in my own account. That doesn’t mean sadly that every stock I own goes up. What it does mean is that my attendees can rest assure that every exhibitor has been vetted. We know them well enough that we in fact, own them.
Rick Rule:
The important part of a live conference is that you get to see the interaction between the exhibitors and the speakers. I remember four years ago, I guess in Vancouver, following at a discreet different distance, Robert Friedland, one of the best resource entrepreneurs in history. And I watched him walk around the exhibit hall. I watched him speak to exhibitors. I took note of which exhibitors he talked to and which exhibitors made him smile and which exhibitors made him frown. I think the opportunity to follow Robert Friedland on a resource stock shopping trip is worth the price of admission.
Rick Rule:
By the way, with regards to the price of admission, every investment product, every investment education product that Rule Investment Media has ever offered over the last 30 years has come with a complete money back guarantee. If you come to the conference, you pay the tuition, and you don’t think it was worth your money? Email me. I’ll give you your money back.
Maurice:
One important factor that maybe you forgot to highlight there is the intellectual capital that you get from other investors. And the lifelong relationships that I’ve had an opportunity to forge has just been, I can’t put a price tag on that.
Rick Rule:
Oh, that’s a very good point. There’s going to be 500 high net worth investors there. And the idea that all the IQ in the room flows from the dais to the room is stupid. Watching fellow investors, listening to the questions that they ask the exhibitors, listening to the questions and the conversations they have amongst each other, listening to the conversations in the workshop, absolutely invaluable. And as I say, if you aren’t prepared to make money on it, there’s a money back guarantee.
Maurice:
Now I know the next question everyone has is how do I register? We’ve got that taken care of for you CLICK HERE. Check the description box below. Also, just visit www.provenandprobable.com. And the link will be on the right side of our homepage just below the weekly precious metal special through Miles Franklin Precious Metals Investments. Mr. Cole, before we close, what would you like to say to shareholders?
David Cole:
Buy the depths, yeah. As Rick likes to say, you want to use the cycles to your advantage rather than be used by the cycles.
Maurice:
Mr. Cole, for someone that wants to learn more about EMX royalty, please share the website address.
