Nature of Operations	12 Months Ended
Dec. 31, 2011
Nature of Operations and Basis of Presentation [Abstract]
NATURE OF OPERATIONS	NOTE 1 — NATURE OF OPERATIONS The Company is a large primary silver producer with significant gold assets located in North America and is engaged, through its subsidiaries, in the operation and ownership, development and exploration of silver and gold mining properties and companies located primarily within South America (Argentina and Bolivia), Mexico (Chihuahua), the United States (Nevada and Alaska) and Australia (New South Wales). Coeur is an Idaho corporation incorporated in 1928.

The entire disclosure for the nature of an entity's business, the major products or services it sells or provides and its principal markets, including the locations of those markets. If the entity operates in more than one business, the disclosure also indicates the relative importance of its operations in each business and the basis for the determination (for example, assets, revenues, or earnings).

Reference 1: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef

-Name Statement of Position (SOP)

-Publisher AICPA

-Number 94-6

-Paragraph 10

-LegacyDoc This reference is SUPERSEDED by the Accounting Standards Codification effective for interim and annual periods ending after September 15, 2009. This reference is included to help users transition from the previous accounting hierarchy and will be removed from future versions of this taxonomy.

Reference 2: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef

-Publisher FASB

-Name Accounting Standards Codification

-Topic 275

-SubTopic 10

-Section 50

-Paragraph 2

-URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=6927468&loc=d3e6003-108592

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