Interest and Other Income (Details) $ in Millions	9 Months Ended
Sep. 30, 2015 USD ($)
Interest and Other Income.
Gain on reduction and elimination of contingency liability	$ 2.0

Represents the income recognized due to reduction of contingency liability related to foreign taxes withhold by the government

No definition available.

Name:	aumn_GainOnReductionOfContingentLiability
Namespace Prefix:	aumn_
Data Type:	xbrli:monetaryItemType
Balance Type:	credit
Period Type:	duration