RE: My favourite scenarioMy biggest question with your scenario, (which I would welcome, by the way) is how many more years does Elmer have in him?
He seems to be advancing properties for buyouts now as opposed to taking them to fully operational mines.
The scenario you lay out would entail several years, minimum. Perhaps Elmer remains in some sort of part-time consulting position, but I have to think he's going to want to enjoy retirement and ride off into the sunset with his well-deserved multi-million dollar windfall at some point in the next few years.