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Mining Properties
12 Months Ended
Dec. 31, 2016
Mining Properties [Abstract]  
MINING PROPERTIES
MINING PROPERTIES
Mining properties consist of the following (in thousands):
December 31, 2016
Palmarejo
 
Rochester
 
Kensington
 
Wharf
 
San
Bartolomé
 
La Preciosa
 
Joaquin
 
Coeur Capital
 
Total
Mine development
$
174,890

 
$
165,230

 
$
271,175

 
$
37,485

 
$
39,184

 
$

 
$

 
$

 
$
687,964

Accumulated amortization
(134,995
)
 
(138,244
)
 
(154,744
)
 
(11,699
)
 
(32,192
)
 

 

 

 
(471,874
)
 
39,895

 
26,986

 
116,431

 
25,786

 
6,992

 

 

 

 
216,090

Mineral interests
629,303

 

 

 
45,837

 
12,868

 
49,085

 
10,000

 
37,272

 
784,365

Accumulated amortization
(381,686
)
 

 

 
(19,249
)
 
(11,695
)
 

 

 
(29,370
)
 
(442,000
)
 
247,617

 

 

 
26,588

 
1,173

 
49,085

 
10,000

 
7,902

 
342,365

Mining properties, net
$
287,512

 
$
26,986

 
$
116,431

 
$
52,374

 
$
8,165

 
$
49,085

 
$
10,000

 
$
7,902

 
$
558,455

December 31, 2015
Palmarejo
 
Rochester
 
Kensington
 
Wharf
 
San
Bartolomé
 
La Preciosa
 
Joaquin
 
Coeur Capital
 
Total
Mine development
$
151,828

 
$
149,756

 
$
238,786

 
$
32,318

 
$
39,474

 
$

 
$

 
$

 
$
612,162

Accumulated amortization
(131,055
)
 
(126,242
)
 
(131,236
)
 
(5,784
)
 
(30,325
)
 

 

 

 
(424,642
)
 
20,773

 
23,514

 
107,550

 
26,534

 
9,149

 

 

 

 
187,520

Mineral interests
629,303

 

 

 
45,837

 
12,868

 
49,085

 
10,000

 
59,343

 
806,436

Accumulated amortization
(348,268
)
 

 

 
(10,551
)
 
(11,400
)
 

 

 
(34,518
)
 
(404,737
)
 
281,035

 

 

 
35,286

 
1,468

 
49,085

 
10,000

 
24,825

 
401,699

Mining properties, net
$
301,808

 
$
23,514

 
$
107,550

 
$
61,820

 
$
10,617

 
$
49,085

 
$
10,000

 
$
24,825

 
$
589,219


Palmarejo is located in the State of Chihuahua in northern Mexico and consists of the Palmarejo mine and mill, the Guadalupe underground mine, the Independencia underground mine, and other deposits and exploration targets. Palmarejo commenced production in April 2009.
The Rochester silver and gold mine, located in northwestern Nevada has been operated by the Company since September 1986. The mine utilizes heap-leaching to extract both silver and gold from ore mined using open pit methods.
The Kensington mine is an underground gold mine and consists of the Kensington and adjacent Jualin properties located north-northwest of Juneau, Alaska. The Company commenced commercial production in July 2010.
The Wharf gold mine is an open pit gold mine located near the city of Lead, South Dakota. The Company acquired Wharf in February 2015.
The San Bartolomé mine is a silver mine located near the city of Potosi, Bolivia. The Company commenced commercial production at San Bartolomé in June 2008.
The La Preciosa silver-gold project is located in the State of Durango in northern Mexico. The Company completed a feasibility study in 2014 and has deferred construction activities until expected returns improve.
The Joaquin silver-gold project is located in the Santa Cruz province of southern Argentina. The Company commenced exploration of the property in November 2007. In January 2017, the Company entered into an agreement to sell the Joaquin silver-gold exploration project for total consideration of $25.0 million. The Company will also retain a 2.0% NSR royalty on the Joaquin project. The transaction is expected to close in the first quarter of 2017, subject to customary closing conditions.
The Company's mineral interests held by Coeur Capital primarily consist of the Endeavor silver stream, acquired by the Company in May 2005, under which the Company owns all silver production and reserves up to 20.0 million ounces at the Endeavor mine in Australia, owned and operated by Cobar Operations Pty. Limited. The Company has received 6.0 million ounces to-date and the current ore reserve contains 1.4 million ounces. The operator of the Endeavor mine announced in early 2016 a significant curtailment of production due to low lead and zinc prices. As a result, Coeur recorded a $2.5 million write-down of the mineral interest associated with the Endeavor silver stream within the Coeur Capital segment at March 31, 2016.
Non-core Asset Sales
In March 2016, Coeur sold its 2.0% NSR royalty on the Cerro Bayo mine to the operator, a subsidiary of Mandalay Resources Corporation (“Mandalay”), for total consideration of approximately $5.7 million, consisting of $4.0 million in cash and 2.5 million Mandalay shares. The Company recognized a $1.9 million pre-tax gain on this sale. The mineral interest associated with the Cerro Bayo mine was included in the Coeur Capital segment.
In April 2016, Coeur sold its tiered NSR royalty on the El Gallo mine to the operator, a subsidiary of McEwen Mining Inc., for total consideration of approximately $6.3 million, including $1 million in contingent consideration. In anticipation of this sale, the Company recorded a $1.9 million write-down of the mineral interest within the Coeur Capital segment at March 31, 2016.
In April 2016, Coeur sold its 2.5% NSR royalty on the La Cigarra project to Kootenay Silver Inc. for total consideration of approximately $3.6 million, consisting of $0.5 million in cash and 9.6 million Kootenay shares. The Company recognized a $1.2 pre-tax gain on this sale. The mineral interest associated with La Cigarra was included in the Coeur Capital segment.
In May 2016, Coeur sold its Martha assets and related liabilities in Argentina to Hunt Mining Corp. for total cash consideration of $3.0 million, including $1.5 million received at closing and $1.5 million receivable on the one-year anniversary of the closing. The Company recognized a $5.3 million pre-tax gain on this sale.
In July 2016, the Company sold its NSR royalty on the Correnso mine in New Zealand to the operator, a subsidiary of Oceana Gold Corporation, for total consideration of $5.4 million, including $0.7 million in contingent consideration. The Company recognized a $4.7 million pre-tax gain on this sale.