Collective Mining Drills High-Grade Gold and Tungsten from Surface, Including 111.15 Metres at 5.48 g/t Gold Equivalent at Apollo
Agnico-Backed Explorer Cements Surface Grade Continuity While Sitting on massive US$135M Cash Pile
On January 21, 2026, Collective Mining announced assay results from four diamond drill holes at the Apollo system within its Guayabales Project in Colombia. The highlight was hole APC-154, which intercepted 111.15 metres at 5.48 g/t gold equivalent (AuEq) from near surface (2 metres depth). This interval included 4.63 g/t gold, 14 g/t silver, and 0.17% tungsten trioxide (WO3).
Other holes (APC-152, APC-153) returned long intervals of lower-grade mineralization (e.g., 168 metres at 0.73 g/t AuEq), confirming the bulk tonnage nature of the system. The release noted that tungsten grades are complementing the precious metals profile. The company reported a cash position of US$135 million and plans to drill 100,000 metres in 2026 with 14 rigs operating by the end of Q1 2026.
This news is Material - Positive. While the Apollo system is already known to be large, the confirmation of high-grade mineralization (over 5 g/t AuEq) starting immediately from the surface in hole APC-154 is statistically significant for project economics. * Economic Implications: High-grade near-surface material significantly enhances potential project economics by allowing for a high-margin "starter pit" scenario, reducing the payback period in a future feasibility study. * Continuity: The results confirm the continuity of the high-grade "crown" of the deposit, reducing resource modeling risk. * Operational Scale: The disclosure of a 100,000-metre drill program for 2026, backed by a massive US$135M treasury, confirms the company is transitioning from discovery to aggressive resource definition and expansion without the need for near-term dilution. * Critical Mineral Component: The persistence of Tungsten (WO3) adds a critical mineral component, though metallurgical recovery at scale remains a technical variable to monitor.
Collective Mining is a Canadian exploration company focused on Colombia. The management team, led by Ari Sussman, was responsible for Continental Gold (sold to Zijin Mining for $2B). * Flagship Project: Guayabales Project (Caldas, Colombia). * Primary System: Apollo, a high-grade gold-silver-copper-tungsten porphyry/breccia system. The system outcrops at surface and has been traced to vertical depths of over 1,000 meters (Ramp Zone). * Secondary Project: San Antonio, located 4km east, currently yielding high-grade silver and gold-copper porphyry targets (Pound Target).