Source URL: http://www.miningmarketwatch.net/abi.htm

Abcourt Mines Inc. (TSX-V: ABI) (US Listing: ABMBF) (Frankfurt: AML) this week released an updated Gold resource calculation at the past producing Elder gold mine near Rouyn-Noranda, Quebec. With 288,944 Measured and Indicated oz of gold, Abcourt is advancing toward taking back into production this advanced stage past producing underground gold mine. From 1944 to 1964 the Elder Gold Mine produced 350,000 ounces of gold and is maintained with the equipment and infrastructure in place. The Elder Gold Mine is one of two near term production scenarios in northwestern Quebec that ABI.V possesses with its Elder gold mine as the priority due to its low capex. Currently trading under CDN
.13 cents per share ABI.V has a market cap under $17M CAD, ~$6M in the bank (as of March 18, 2012), and possesses resources of significance (~20M oz silver, ~610M lbs zinc, ~405K oz gold) with large growth potential that appear to position it as grossly undervalued.

 

Reopening the 100% owned Elder Gold Mine is a priority for Abcourt this 2012. The new (April 25, 2012) updated Gold resource calculation on Elder totalls 288,944 Measured & Indicated (1,361,212 tonnes @ 6.60 g/T Au) + 116,827 Inferred (637,900 tonnes @ 5.70 g/T Au). This Q2 2012 dewatering of the mine is expected to be completed and a Preliminary Economic Assessment (PEA) report is expected. Subject to favorable PEA findings it is conceivable that by year end ABI.V could begin stockpiling ore destined for local custom milling (~135,000 tonnes per year with an average grade around 6+ g/T). Elder is an advanced stage past producing underground gold mine project with equipment and infrastructure in place, from 1944 to 1964 the Elder Gold Mine produced 350,000 ounces of gold. It is expected Abcourt will begin first by extracting ore from the limit of the old 5th, 6th, 7th, 8th and 9th levels of the mine where the bulk of the ore is. Infrastructure appears to be well preserved and only nominal development costs (~$10M possibly) to access the new ore at these levels and begin cash flowing may be required. The soon to be complete dewatering, newly released resource calc., and PEA costs are pegged at $1.6M. The upcoming changes and projected cash flow metrics will position shares of ABI.V as an improved quality of equity for investors; the PEA is expected to affirm 22,500+ oz gold per annum for close to a decade with a cash cost of ~US$650 per oz. Elder is currently developed to ~2000 feet and has large resource expansion potential; it is open at depth and along strike, plus 2011 drilling revealed a new gold zone just under the old one. Greenstone belts run deep, there are mines at 8,000 – 10,000+ feet and statistically over the life of the mine the average produces ~8+ times the original estimates.

Abcourt Mines' other project is the Abcourt-Barvue Silver-Zinc Project which has a sizeable economically recoverable resource deposit that Abcourt's two newest directors (both of which were instrumental in the sale of Canadian Royalties Inc. to Jilin Jien of China) will become helpful in advancing to fruition. The Abcourt-Barvue project is an advanced past producing open pit silver-zinc mine project with infrastructure in place and a resource of 19,644,354 ounces Silver, 278,820 Metric Tonnes Zinc. A feasibility study is in place on a 500 million lb. Zn, 13+ million ounce Ag orebody over a 13 year minelife based on a 650,000 TPY (tonnes per year) operation -- Abcourt has plans to improve on the this to 1 million TPY operation.

Valuation Note: Shares outstanding: 153,284,772 (231,284,772 fully diluted) -- The current share price is only attributing minimal value to the in-ground zinc resources at the Abcourt-Barvue project alone (currently trading at less than
.03 per Zn lb found at the Abcourt-Barvue project alone, a level generally attributed to earlier stage exploration companies with resources), ignoring 1) its large ~20M oz silver resources, 2) the 405K+ oz gold resources at Elder, 3) large resource growth potential, 4) its other properties, and 5) the significant infrastructure the Company possesses from when it was a past producer at the silver-zinc operation and the Elder Gold mine sites -- a share price over
.60 per share would seem a more appropriately discounted trading price.

A full review of Abcourt Mines is available at http://www.miningmarketwatch.net/abi.htm online.