$EXSFF...METALLURGY...In June, 2014, a close business associate of 35 years suggested I take a good long look at Explor Resources, and he gave me President Chris Dupont’s number to discuss an investment in the Company. Initially, I did a thorough review of the Company’s website; read the latest available MD&A (Management Discussion & Analysis) document, and I reviewed the Company’s financials. Having invested in some 300 mining exploration venture companies in the past, I had a half-dozen questions that would determine the extent to which I would commit to the investment. I called Dupont, and we spoke at lengths about the similarities between the Hollinger, McIntyre & Dome Gold Mines, and the Company’s Timmins Porcupine West Gold Deposit. We discussed the drilling done on just a small portion of the huge porphyry, with Gold found in 116 of 122 holes drilled. That led to a discussion about the computer-generated model of the TPW Deposit, and the likelihood of 20-30,000,000 ounces of Gold in that section of the porphyry alone. We talked about the promising potential of the Company’s Copper resource in New Brunswick. We also discussed the Company’s property holdings within a couple of kilometers of the prolific Glencore Kidd Base Metals Mine, and the ‘cluster effect’ of VMS (Volcanogenic Massive Sulphide) deposits. We touched on the variety of other mineral assets in the Company’s portfolio. Following this lengthy process of due diligence, I made my first purchase of Explor the next morning. That buy was at .025, and I have been adding to my position ever since. To date, that continues to be my lowest price, but I have bought at virtually all prices to a high at .23 over these past four years. More recently, I’ve added more at .04-.05. Given my firm belief Gold will take off to new highs in the near future, I’m quite happy with the average price of my holdings. The entire mining exploration business has suffered over the past couple of years, but will quickly gather steam as the price of Gold escalates.
Obviously, a great deal has happened over these past four years. It hasn’t always been pretty, but given Dupont’s massive holdings in the Company, and those of his family and friends, I know that every decision made by he & the Board of Directors has been made in an effort to enhance shareholder value. We have seen a number of strategic property acquisitions; exploration drilling on a variety of properties, and successful negotiations with regulators, and aboriginal authorities. Most notably, at the TPW, a sixth, previously unknown shear zone was found, adding more promise to the deposit’s potential. Over all, I’ve become convinced the Board of Directors has the expertise, and experience, to deal with the variety of issues that will require attention, moving toward actual production at the TPW Central Open Pit.
The recent Metallurgical Test results of the proposed TPW Pit samples are nothing short of spectacular. I’m not going to pretend to be an expert in interpreting all of the results, but a 93% Gold Recovery Rate; a very high ‘Free Gold’ percentage, and essentially no arsenic production is extremely rare, and implies significantly reduced production costs. Although extremely difficult to interpret by the average investor, the various results of this complex process suggest a higher dividend to all shareholders down the road. It should also be viewed as a major step forward, as knowledgeable financiers will immediately recognize the cost reductions, and ease of Gold extraction. Equipment, processing needs, and infrastructure to create Gold concentrate at the TPW are dramatically minimized by this news. The ‘metallurgy’ of the deposit will also make the permitting process quicker, and less cumbersome.
