Can you provide a brief introduction to Highlander Silver?

Highlander Silver is a new company formed from a merger between Lido Minerals and CAPPEX Mineral Ventures. We did a reverse transaction takeover of Lido Minerals, a publicly listed shell company with one qualifying property, and completed a business combination transaction between Lido and CAPPEX. During the combination process, we brought in key shareholders and raised approximately C$3 million.

Highlander Silver is a mineral exploration company focused on the further exploration of the Alta Victoria silver-polymetallic project in central Peru, previously explored by CAPPEX. We are looking for an opportunity to improve the company’s fortunes by gaining access to the public market.      

How did the market receive Highlander’s listing on the CSE in August 2021? 

The market has been extremely supportive, and Highlander has a really solid list of shareholders. Although our volumes have not yet really taken off, towards the end of 2021 we also picked up the Politunche project and started working on that. In February 2022, we announced the option deal to acquire 100% of that property. We are currently quite proactive in our marketing approach to get our name and story out to the market.  

Can you elaborate on the progress made at the Alta Victoria property? 

The Alta Victoria property is located in the Central Cordillera Polymetallic Mineral Belt, which hosts some world-class silver-lead-zinc deposits, and has produced over 1.5 billion ounces of silver historically. The project is adjacent to the Alpamarca Fault, in terrain that we believe is highly prospective for a major discovery. Over the course of four years, CAPPEX did all the groundwork to generate and build up the geologic evidence of our targets. The company drilled seven holes mainly into one target called Santa Teresita, which indicated low grade mineralization but generated some promising targets. To date, we have completed our ground geochemistry, IP geophysics, MAG geophysics, and more recently, a gravity survey. Now, we have targets in the Pachas area to the north of Santa Teresita that we are very encouraged by. We are currently in the process of modifying our permit and expect to attain approval for our 5,000 m drill program at Alta Victoria in May, with drilling starting in June/July 2022.

What attracted Highlander to the Politunche property? 

Politunche is very close to Alta Victoria, which makes it easy to work both properties at the same time. We were well aware of historic exploration ending in 2011, which included surface sampling, mapping and diamond drilling demonstrating a volcanic hosted system with evidence of high-grade gold-silver mineralization across the entire property.

In Q4 2021, we made a deal to acquire 100% of the property and are really pleased with the initial results from surface. Now, we need to sign a community agreement before advancing the project. We hope to attain all approvals by mid-2022 and be in a position to start drilling as soon as we have finished our drill program at Alta Victoria.

How do you think investment sentiment will evolve in coming months?

Peru is not unlike other places where an administration change can have a substantial effect on the investment climate. Peru is a mining country rich in minerals, and mining is a huge industry which is vital to the economy. Although short term investor sentiment will ebb and flow with how the government operates and behaves, the mining industry in Peru will continue to attract investor interest based on the bounty of minerals the country has to offer as well as the mining culture Peruvians have. It is now important for mining companies to engage with government, stakeholders, and local communities so that all can benefit from cooperative action.   

What is Highlander’s vision and strategy for growth in 2022 and beyond? 

Highlander currently has approximately C$3 million in cash and hopes to be in a position to drill both Alta Victoria and Politunche within 2022. Depending on the market and the results we can provide, we will be aggressively operating on both our projects. We are also actively looking for and pursuing other opportunities in Peru and South America to lever our company. Over the next few years, the market will see Highlander Silver transform itself into a major player in the business.