Categories:
Precious Metals
Topics:
General Precious Metals
Aguila American Gold (TSX-V: AGL) CEO Mark Saxon on Pending Assays at WUSA, Potential M&A and New Advisory Board Appointment
Gerardo Del Real: This is Gerardo Del Real with Resource Stock Digest. Joining me today is the President and CEO of Aguila American Gold, Mr. Mark Saxon. Mark, how are you today?
Mark Saxon: Hey, Gerardo, doing pretty well across here in Australia, and I hope you are the same.
Gerardo Del Real: Doing well. Thank you for asking. Interesting day in the precious metals market, silver specifically, but gold also on a bit of a run today. We know that gold and silver until recently had been consolidating. Let's hope that this is the beginning of what we all expect to be a phenomenal run in 2021. Aguila American Gold is positioned extremely well to take advantage of that momentum. And you had an appointment to the advisory board today that is pretty impressive. And before we get into that though, I've got to ask you, how are things coming along with the labs in regards to the assays that we're all anticipating?
Mark Saxon: Sure, Gerardo. First of all, I guess, I very much agree with your sentiment there that the markets have gone a little crazy last week and particularly in your part of the world with this Reddit and the shorting kind of stories. And I think it makes for a perfect time to jump into physical assets and for gold and silver, and this is absolutely prime for them to do well, I think, in the next 12 months. So, for Aguila, we're a gold company focused particularly on exploration in the U.S., and our flagship property, our key one at the moment, is in Oregon.
So, we drilled there in December last year, and I guess we finished the program in the second half of December. So, coming into Christmas... And the core was cut and shipped off to the labs in Reno. But, obviously it was a pretty challenging time to get work done, first of all because the U.S. has been so busy with exploration, second of all with COVID, and then inaugurations and everything else that's gone on there. So, we're extremely close. The core is all in the lab and we're counting now on our fingers how close the assays should be.
Gerardo Del Real: Excellent. Looking forward to that. I think it speaks to the appointment today, the quality of, and caliber of, the team. You had an appointment to the advisory board that I referenced. The experience that Michael brings is extremely impressive. Michael Thompson, can you please explain a bit of his background and how the appointment came to be?
Mark Saxon: Yeah, absolutely. And really Mike is a great guy and now a good friend, but somebody that I met the first time, I guess, was through LinkedIn, and one of those great contacts of contacts. And Mike and I had a few long conversations about some other issues, not about this one, and developed a shared interest and got to know each other very well. So, Mike and I have known each other for three or four years now and looking at some interesting ideas and projects. And with Aguila focused on North America, and Mike is based in Denver with a stellar history in North America, it became very natural for us to appoint him.
So, Mike, I guess I won't give away his age, but he's got a bit of gray hair and has had various roles in a range of companies. And I guess when he crossed over from senior mining to junior mining, his last role was as the director of international exploration at Newmont. So, a very big title... And was really traveling the world looking at all kinds of gold and silver projects, and really the list as long as your arm of the countries he's visited and the projects he's seen and worked on. So, a great fount of knowledge for us at Aguila.
Gerardo Del Real: You just touched on something, you mentioned on something that I want to come back to. You mentioned his deep network of contacts, and that's largely a part of the reason why I participated in the most recent financing in Aguila American Gold. As I tell everyone, if you hear me speak about or to a company, you should assume I'm biased because if I don't like a company, you won't be hearing me talk with them or to them or about them. So, obviously I'm impressed with your background. I'm impressed with the board. I'm impressed with Mike's background. You mentioned that you're looking at other projects. We know that you have the flagship. We're excited about the assays that we're expecting. But, how active are you in vetting other projects right now, Mark?
Mark Saxon: Sure. It's been an amazing flow of deals and things coming across our table at the moment. As you know, we've got great connections in the industry and we've been out there utilizing those, looking at ideas. And I guess we're looking for some bigger picture thinking as well, looking at places where traditional gold belts go undercover or places where, coming into some of the Canadian Shield areas, there're opportunities under till cover and places like that. So, we're looking at many projects. I think we've got a list of really interesting things that are on our table at the moment within North America, so let's say Canada and the U.S. in particular. And I think we'll be seeing, over the next month, some very good deal flow coming out of those opportunities.
Gerardo Del Real: You have a 52-week high of six $0.67 Canadian. The stock was up today on some good volume, up 22%. And despite that, you closed at $0.33 Canadian. You have a fully diluted market cap of just over... I think it's $10 million at this point. And with the network, with the team, with the access to deal flow, and with assays pending, I've got to believe Aguila American Gold is a heck of a speculation at these levels. You're biased. I'm biased. We're talking our book here, but I encourage everyone out there to go to the website and look at the team's history, look at the background, look at the success that it's had because I think these levels are incredibly attractive to anyone looking for a quality gold, and it appears now from reading the updated quote year in the release that you're looking for potentially copper and silver projects as well.
Mark Saxon: Yeah. And, like you said, we're a very small company and, without giving investment advice, it's hard to see any downside on where we sit at the moment. And really, I think we're a great play on the future of gold and silver and copper in North America. And we're looking for a great year for those ones. So, I think our own work and our own discoveries will be part of that. And then the whole market is going to move extremely well, I believe, over the next 12 months. So, I think it's very good positioning from a very cheap base as a company.
Gerardo Del Real: And I should note that there are shares available because the financing that you did four months and a day ago just became free trading. And I suspect that's where some of the price action to the downside came from. I don't anticipate that lasting. I would use the weakness, for all of you out there looking for a quality speculation. Do your own due diligence, but I think Aguila American Gold is a heck of a place to start. Mark, anything else you'd like to add to that?
Mark Saxon: No, I think that's great, Gerardo. And, as you said, we had some four month hold stock come free recently, so there's stock in the market now, which there wasn't previously. For buyers, there's always sellers, and we need to be mindful of that. So, please take a look at the company and always happy to give you updates.
Gerardo Del Real: To be clear, I have not sold a share. So, full disclosure, it's there, not selling, haven't sold. We'll keep you all posted. Mark, thank you so much. I look forward to chatting when those assays come back.
Mark Saxon: Thanks, Gerardo. Chat soon.
Gerardo Del Real: Cheers.