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Note 11. Derivative Instruments | 3 Months Ended
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Mar. 31, 2012
Derivative Instruments and Hedging Activities Disclosure [Text Block] | Note 11. Derivative Instruments At times, we use commodity forward sales commitments, commodity swap contracts and commodity put and call option contracts to manage our exposure to fluctuation in the prices of certain metals which we produce. Contract positions are designed to ensure that we will receive a defined minimum price for certain quantities of our production, thereby partially offsetting our exposure to fluctuations in the market. These instruments do, however, expose us to other risks, including the amount by which the contract price exceeds the spot price of a commodity, and nonperformance by the counterparties to these agreements. We use financially-settled forward contracts to sell lead and zinc at fixed prices for settlement at approximately the same time that our unsettled concentrate sales contracts will settle. The settlement of each concentrate contract is based on the average spot price of the metal during the month of settlement, which may differ from the prices used to record the sale when the sale takes place. The objective of the contracts is to manage the exposure to changes in prices of zinc and lead contained in our concentrate shipments between the time of sale and final settlement. These contracts do not qualify for hedge accounting and are marked-to-market through earnings each period. At March 31, 2012, we recorded a current asset of $0.5 million, which is included in other current assets, for the fair value of the contracts. The current asset balance is net of approximately $0.1 million for contracts that were in a fair value liability position at March 31, 2012. We recognized a $1.0 million net loss on the contracts during the first three months of 2012, which is included in sales of products. The net loss recognized on the contracts offsets price adjustments on our provisional concentrate sales related to changes to lead and zinc prices between the time of sale and final settlement. In addition, we use financially-settled forward contracts to manage the exposure of changes in prices of zinc and lead contained in our forecasted future concentrate shipments. These contracts also do not qualify for hedge accounting and are marked-to-market through earnings each period. At March 31, 2012, we recorded a current asset of $11.1 million, which is included in other current assets, and a non-current asset of $9.0 million, which is included in other non-current assets, for the fair value of the contracts. The current asset balance is net of approximately $0.5 million for contracts that were in a fair value liability position at March 31, 2012. We recognized a $5.2 million net loss on the contracts, net of $7.0 million in gains realized on settled contracts, during the first three months of 2012. The net loss on these contracts is included as a separate line item under other income (expense), as they relate to forecasted future shipments, as opposed to sales that have already taken place but are subject to final pricing. The losses recognized during the first three months of 2012 are the result of increasing lead and zinc prices during the end of March 2012. However, this program is designed to mitigate the impact of potential future declines in lead and zinc prices from the price levels established in the contracts (see average price information below). As further discussed in Note 6, production at the Lucky Friday mine is temporarily suspended due to the requirement to remove loose material from the Silver Shaft. As a result, during the first quarter of 2012, we liquidated forward contracts related to previously forecasted Lucky Friday base metal sales for total net proceeds of $3.1 million. The following tables summarize the quantities of base metals committed under forward sales contracts at March 31, 2012 and December 31, 2011:
March 31, 2012 |  | Metric tonnes under contract |  |  | Average price per pound |
|  | Zinc |  |  | Lead |  |  | Zinc |  |  | Lead |
Contracts on provisional sales |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |
2012 settlements |  |  | 6,250 |  |  |  | 1,300 |  |  | $ | 0.94 |  |  | $ | 0.96 |
Contracts on forecasted sales |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |
2012 settlements |  |  | 11,850 |  |  |  | 5,100 |  |  | $ | 1.12 |  |  | $ | 1.13 |
2013 settlements |  |  | 8,675 |  |  |  | 13,250 |  |  | $ | 1.13 |  |  | $ | 1.15 |
December 31, 2011 |  | Metric tonnes under contract |  |  | Average price per pound |
|  | Zinc |  |  | Lead |  |  | Zinc |  |  | Lead |
Contracts on provisional sales |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |
2012 settlements |  |  | 9,600 |  |  |  | 2,600 |  |  | $ | 0.86 |  |  | $ | 0.89 |
Contracts on forecasted sales |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |
2012 settlements |  |  | 20,500 |  |  |  | 15,900 |  |  | $ | 1.12 |  |  | $ | 1.12 |
2013 settlements |  |  | 8,275 |  |  |  | 11,150 |  |  | $ | 1.14 |  |  | $ | 1.17 |
Our concentrate sales are based on a provisional sales price containing an embedded derivative that is required to be separated from the host contract for accounting purposes. The host contract is the receivable from the sale of the concentrates at the forward price at the time of the sale. The embedded derivative, which does not qualify for hedge accounting, is adjusted to market through earnings each period prior to final settlement.

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- Definition The entire disclosure for the entity's entire derivative instruments and hedging activities. Describes an entity's risk management strategies, derivatives in hedging activities and non-hedging derivative instruments, the assets, obligations, liabilities, revenues and expenses arising therefrom, and the amounts of and methodologies and assumptions used in determining the amounts of such items. + References Reference 1: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef -Publisher FASB -Name Accounting Standards Codification -Topic 815 -SubTopic 30 -Section 50 -Paragraph 2 -URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=7668309&loc=d3e80784-113994 Reference 2: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef -Publisher FASB -Name Accounting Standards Codification -Topic 815 -SubTopic 10 -Section 50 -Paragraph 4C -URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=7476318&loc=SL5624171-113959 Reference 3: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef -Publisher FASB -Name Accounting Standards Codification -Topic 815 -SubTopic 10 -Section 50 -Paragraph 4E -URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=7476318&loc=SL5624181-113959 Reference 4: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef -Publisher FASB -Name Accounting Standards Codification -Topic 815 -SubTopic 10 -Section 50 -Paragraph 4K -URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=7476318&loc=SL5708775-113959 Reference 5: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef -Publisher FASB -Name Accounting Standards Codification -Topic 815 -SubTopic 10 -Section 50 -Paragraph 1A -URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=7476318&loc=SL5579245-113959 Reference 6: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef -Publisher FASB -Name Accounting Standards Codification -Topic 235 -SubTopic 10 -Section S99 -Paragraph 1 -Subparagraph (SX 210.4-08.(n)) -URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=6881521&loc=d3e23780-122690 Reference 7: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef -Publisher FASB -Name Accounting Standards Codification -Topic 815 -SubTopic 10 -Section 50 -Paragraph 5 -URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=7476318&loc=d3e41641-113959 Reference 8: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef -Publisher FASB -Name Accounting Standards Codification -Topic 815 -SubTopic 10 -Section 50 -Paragraph 1 -URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=7476318&loc=SL5579240-113959 Reference 9: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef -Publisher FASB -Name Accounting Standards Codification -Topic 815 -SubTopic 30 -Section 45 -Paragraph 1 -URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=6441202&loc=d3e80720-113993 Reference 10: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef -Publisher FASB -Name Accounting Standards Codification -Topic 815 -SubTopic 10 -Section 50 -Paragraph 4 -URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=7476318&loc=d3e41638-113959 Reference 11: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef -Publisher FASB -Name Accounting Standards Codification -Topic 815 -SubTopic 10 -Section 50 -Paragraph 3 -URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=7476318&loc=d3e41635-113959 Reference 12: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef -Publisher FASB -Name Statement of Financial Accounting Standard (FAS) -Number 133 -Paragraph 44 -LegacyDoc This reference is SUPERSEDED by the Accounting Standards Codification effective for interim and annual periods ending after September 15, 2009. This reference is included to help users transition from the previous accounting hierarchy and will be removed from future versions of this taxonomy. 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