New Age Metals Inc (CVE: NAM) (OTCMKTS: NMTLF) (FRA: P7J) now has permission to collect grab and shallow core samples on recently staked gold-antimony (Au-Sb) properties in Eastern Canada. The high price of the precious metal and critical mineral has been providing incentive to get boots on the ground.
The first phase of the prospecting campaign will commence within the next few days. The junior has pointed out that the claims it will be exploring are located on the same geological trend as the past-producing Beaver Brook antimony mine and adjacent to the Queensway South project held by New Found Gold Corp. (CVE: NFG) (NYSEAMERICAN: NFGC) (FRA: 5QG).
Founded in 1980, Beaver Brook has historically been Canada’s only antimony-producing asset of scale, but operations have been suspended since early 2023 due to financial issues. Considering the current sky-high price of antimony, a restart in the near future would not be surprising.
“Receiving the letter of acceptance [from the Mineral Lands Division of the Newfoundland government] is an important milestone for our Newfoundland Au-Sb Division,” Chairman Harry Barr stated.
If the Phase I exploration program goes smoothly, a follow-up Phase II campaign comprised of more extensive sampling and mapping will follow during the summer and early fall months this year.
Read more: NevGold’s Nevada property may just be the next American antimony resource of scale
Canada needs antimony, and so does the United States
New Age Metals aims to appeal to government stakeholders in Canada and attract investors at an opportune time.
“With global instability and growing geopolitical tensions, securing domestic sources of antimony has become a national security priority,” the company highlighted in a recent blog post. “Currently, Canada does not produce antimony in significant quantities, leaving industries vulnerable to supply chain disruptions.”
A supply shortage at home and in the U.S. in particular, combined with an unprecedented spot price for the silvery-grey metalloid element, has made exploring Sb properties an appealing idea. Antimony is often found in tandem with gold mineralization, and both commodities are worth heaps at the moment.
China is the world’s number one Sb producer by far, generating approximately 80 per cent of the global supply. Currently, the nation has placed stringent export restrictions on its shipments of antimony products, thereby creating an unprecedented shortage of a material previously taken for granted in North America.
To remedy the concerning situation, junior explorers in the continent like New Age Metals, NevGold Corp (CVE: NAU) (OTCMKTS: NAUFF) (FRA: 5E50) and Phenom Resources Corp (CVE: PHNM) (OTCMKTS: PHNMF) have been working aggressively to advance their respective Au-Sb properties.
As mentioned, Canada’s only sizeable antimony mine is currently shut down. Moreover, the only major Sb deposit in the U.S., at the Stibnite gold project under development by Perpetua Resources Corp (TSE: PPTA) (NASDAQ: PPTA), won’t be dug up until 2028.
Antimony prospecting has gone from being a low-priority to a necessity.
The US imports a minimal amount of rare earths directly from China, since the majority are integrated into downstream products. Antimony, once a significant import, was cut off in 9/24 following China's export controls. pic.twitter.com/BOojY48Vl8
— Nathaniel Sher (@nathaniel_sher) May 14, 2025
Read more: NevGold continues its good fortune with antimony grades in Nevada
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