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Number of segments reported by the entity. A reportable segment is a component of an entity for which there is an accounting requirement to report separate financial information on that component in the entity's financial statements.

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Note 12 - Business Segments, Sales of Products and Significant Customers (Details Textual) $ in Thousands	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2018 USD ($) oz T	Dec. 31, 2017 USD ($)	Dec. 31, 2016 USD ($)
Number of Reportable Segments	5
Derivative, Gain on Derivative	$ 8,100
Derivative, Loss on Derivative		$ 6,000	$ 14,200
Accounts Receivable, Net, Current, Total	4,184	14,805
Allowance for Doubtful Accounts Receivable, Ending Balance	0
Employee Labor Strike Related Costs	20,693	21,301
Lucky Friday [Member]
Long-Lived Assets	$ 435,600
Estimated Mine Life	17 years
Lucky Friday [Member] \| Suspension Costs [Member]
Employee Labor Strike Related Costs	$ 14,600	17,100
Lucky Friday [Member] \| Non-cash Depreciation Expense [Member]
Employee Labor Strike Related Costs	$ 5,000	$ 4,200
Silver [Member]
Metals Contained in Concentrates \| oz	1,000,000
Gold [Member]
Metals Contained in Concentrates \| oz	3,658
Zinc [Member]
Metals Contained in Concentrates \| T	10,689
Lead [Member]
Metals Contained in Concentrates \| T	1,572