Hecla Reports Third Quarter 2012 Results and Expected 2013 Production from Lucky Friday Mine

Hecla Mining Company (NYSE:HL)
today announced a third quarter net loss applicable to common
shareholders of $1.0 million, or $0.00 per basic share, and earnings
after adjustments applicable to common shareholders of $3.2 million, or
$0.01 per basic share. Third quarter silver production was up 19% from
the previous quarter to 1.6 million ounces at a cash cost of $3.52 per
ounce, net of by-products. Operating cash flow for the quarter was $35.2
million.

THIRD QUARTER 2012 HIGHLIGHTS

• 
  Silver production of 1.6 million ounces, up 19% from the previous
  quarter, at a total cash cost (a non-GAAP measure) of $3.52 per ounce,
  net of by-products.
  
• 
  Operating cash flow of $35.2 million.
  
• 
  Net loss applicable to common shareholders of $1.0 million, or $0.00
  per basic share, due primarily to non-cash mark-to-market adjustments
  related to the Company's long-term base metal hedging program.
  
• 
  Earnings after adjustments applicable to common shareholders (a
  non-GAAP measure) of $3.2 million, or $0.01 per basic share.
  
• 
  Lucky Friday rehabilitation work progresses to approximately 5700
  level with production expected to resume in Q1/2013. Full-year 2013
  silver production expected at more than 2 million ounces.
  
• 
  Cash and cash equivalents of $232 million at September ?30, 2012.
  
• 
  Declaration of common stock dividend of $0.0225 per share, payable on
  or about December 5 to shareholders of record on November 27.
  

• 
  Drilled very high-grade mineralization over exceptional widths at
  Greens Creek (Alaska).
  
• 
  At San Sebastian, drilling of the Middle Vein has defined a very
  high-grade, gold-silver vein which is approximately 800 feet from the
  Hugh Zone.
  

'We are pleased to report that shaft rehabilitation at the Lucky Friday
mine advanced on schedule during the third quarter, and we anticipate
being in production in the first quarter of 2013 and ramping up through
the year to more than 2 million ounces by year end,' said Hecla's
President and Chief Executive Officer Phillips S. Baker, Jr. 'Work crews
have completed the Silver Shaft rehabilitation work to approximately the
5700 level, which is 400 feet from the shaft bottom. Therefore, we have
recalled all employees and begun preparatory work for sinking of the #4
Shaft.'

'Greens Creek delivered 19% higher silver production than the previous
quarter, as a result of increases in ore throughput and silver grade.
Cash costs increased to $3.52 per ounce due to higher silver grades
relative to the by-product metals resulting in lower by-product credit
per ounce of silver produced. Meanwhile, our record capital investment
program continued at Greens Creek, preparing the mine for many more
years of anticipated low-cost production and reserve growth,' Mr. Baker
said.

'Quarterly operating cash flow was $35.2 million, helped by higher
production at Greens Creek and strong silver prices. With our realized
silver prices averaging $35.00 per ounce, Hecla will pay the
silver-linked dividend in addition to our regular common stock dividend.

'Meanwhile, our expanded pre-development and exploration programs
continued to deliver impressive results, including ramp development at
the historic Bulldog mine in Colorado, and very high-grade intercepts at
all four properties. We are rapidly advancing toward our targeted goal
of 15 million ounces of Company-wide silver production by 2017.
Underpinning this growth is our very strong balance sheet, with $232
million in cash and no significant debt,' Mr. Baker added.

FINANCIAL OVERVIEW

Net loss applicable to common shareholders for the third quarter was
$1.0 million, or $0.00 per basic share, compared to net income of $55.8
million, or $0.20 per basic share for the same period a year ago, and
was impacted by the following items:

• 
  Temporary suspension of mining activities at the Lucky Friday mine,
  where production has been suspended since January 2012, but which is
  expected to resume production in the first quarter of 2013. There were
  $6.1 million in suspension-related costs at the Lucky Friday in the
  third quarter, including $1.5 million of depreciation.
  
• 
  Lower average silver and base metals prices compared to the same
  period a year ago.
  

• 
  Exploration and pre-development expense increased to $17.1 million in
  the third quarter from $11.6 million in the same period in 2011.
  

• 
  A $9.1 million non-cash loss for mark-to-market adjustments on base
  metal derivative contracts for the third quarter, compared to a $40.4
  million gain for the same period in 2011. A summary of the quantities
  of base metals committed under financially settled forward contracts
  on September 30, 2012, is included on page 4 of this release.
  
• 
  A $14,000 tax provision, compared to $27.3 million in the same period
  in 2011, was the result of higher pre-tax income in 2011. The
  effective income tax rate is approximately 36% in 2012 compared to 35%
  in the same period in 2011.
  
• 
  Gains of $5.9 million on provisional price adjustments compared to
  losses of $3.6 million in the same period of 2011.
  

Operating cash flow was $35.2 million during the third quarter of 2012.

Capital expenditures (including non-cash capital lease additions) at the
operations totaled $14.5 million at Lucky Friday and $14.2 million at
Greens Creek. Full-year capital expenditures are expected to be
approximately $135.0 million in 2012, primarily due to projects at
Greens Creek.

Pre-development expenditures totaled $5.4 million in the third quarter.
Pre-development expenditures for the full year 2012 are expected to be
approximately $23.0 million.

Exploration expenditures for the third quarter of 2012 were $11.7
million. Exploration expenditures for the full-year 2012 are expected to
be approximately $30.0 million.

METALS PRICES

Average realized silver prices in the third quarter were $35.00 per
ounce, compared with average realized prices in the third quarter of
2011 of $37.02 per ounce.

Base Metals Forward Sales Contracts

The following table summarizes the quantities of base metals committed
under financially settled forward sales contracts at September ?30, 2012:

OPERATIONS OVERVIEW

Average third quarter silver cash cost was $3.52 per ounce, net of
by-products, compared to $0.67 per ounce in the same period in 2011. The
following table provides the production summary on a consolidated basis
for the third quarter and nine months ended September ?30, 2012 and 2011:

(1) See the attached schedule for a reconciliation to GAAP.

Greens Creek mine - Alaska

Silver production at Greens Creek was 1.6 million ounces in the third
quarter of 2012, compared to 1.4 million ounces in the same period in
2011. Third quarter silver cash cost was $3.52 per ounce, net of
by-products, compared to a negative $2.98 per ounce in the same period
in 2011, due in part to lower average base metals prices. Mining costs
per ton were up by 23% and milling costs were 19% lower in the third
quarter, as compared to the same period in 2011. The higher mining costs
were primarily due to the increased use of contract miners, and the
lower milling costs resulted from higher mill throughput and the
availability of more hydroelectric power.

During the first nine months of 2012, production totaled 4.3 million
ounces of silver at an average cash cost of $2.34 per ounce, net of
by-products.

Greens Creek is expected to produce more than 6 million ounces of silver
in 2012.

Lucky Friday mine - Idaho

At the Lucky Friday mine, the Silver Shaft rehabilitation is complete to
approximately the 5700 level. Concurrent with the rehabilitation, the
shaft is being upgraded for potential future capacity increases.
Complete rehabilitation to the bottom of the shaft is expected by the
end of year with production expected to resume in the first quarter of
2013. Also, at the 5900 level, a bypass is being developed around an
area impacted by a rock burst in December 2011.

We have recalled all employees necessary to reach full production. All
recalled employees have received safety training, including new
techniques in risk assessment and accident prevention designed to
improve safe work practices.

In addition, we have begun preparations to resume work in the first
quarter on the #4 ?Shaft project. To date, $90 million has been invested
on the estimated $200 million #4 Shaft project, which is planned to
access extensions to reserves, resources and additional exploration
targets. The project is expected to be completed in early 2016.

Care-and-maintenance costs incurred at the Lucky Friday totaled $6.1
million for the third quarter of 2012, including depreciation of $1.5
million.

Pre-Development

Pre-development expenditures for the third quarter of 2012 were $5.4
million at the Company's three pre-development projects in Colorado,
Idaho and Mexico.

At the San Juan Silver project, the new 2,800 foot decline at the
historic Bulldog mine has begun and has now advanced over 100
feet. This decline will provide access to a resource of 37 million
ounces of silver and underground exploration platforms to expand these
resources. Support facilities such as the maintenance and shotcrete
shops are completed and operational. Prior to the Company acquiring 100%
interest in the Bulldog, it had historic production of approximately 25
million ounces of silver before it was closed by the previous owner in
1985 due to then low silver prices.

At the Star project, rehabilitation of the main level and the
secondary escape ramp to surface are complete as well as development of
a 750-foot exploration drift. The #5 Shaft rehab is complete and
installation of the hoist has begun. Exploration drilling has begun from
the new drift on the southeast extension of the Noonday and Morning
Veins.

At San Sebastian, with the discovery of the Middle Vein
mineralization, economic analysis has been delayed until the first
quarter of 2013 to determine the Hugh Zone access. Hydrological studies
are complete and initial metallurgy and mine design have begun on the Andrea.

Exploration

Exploration expenditures for the third quarter were $11.7 million,
focused on all four properties.

At San Sebastian, drilling moved from the Andrea where
resources are being updated, to the Hugh Zone and approximately
800 feet further north to the Middle Vein to follow-up on limited
drilling from six years ago. Results at the Middle Vein have been very
good, with high-grade intersections such as 0.36 opt gold and 39.2 opt
silver over 7 feet. Two drills are currently active and have defined
mineralization for over 3,000 feet of strike and from surface to at
least 1,000 feet in depth. Drilling also continues to expand the Hugh
Zone updip and to the northwest in parallel with the Middle Vein. An
extensive list of assay intersections is provided in tables at the end
of this press release.

At Greens Creek, underground drilling continues to extend
ore-grade mineralization along trend of the Southwest Bench, 200 South,
Gallagher, 5250 and 9a Zones, with exceptional widths and grades, such
as 70 feet of 0.3 opt gold, 13.8 opt silver and 21% combined zinc and
lead at the 200 South; and 73 feet of 0.17 opt gold, 17.58 opt silver
and 23.7% combined zinc and lead at the Southwest Bench. In 2013,
modeling of these intersections could result in significant additions to
the resource. Surface drilling has successfully identified
mineralization at Killer Creek 1.5 miles west-northwest of the
mine that contains copper-rich veins and bands and one mile west of the
mine at West Gallagher that contains pyrite mud intervals that
have carried anomalous base and precious metal grades in the past.
Killer Creek and West Gallagher will be priority targets for the 2013
summer program.

In the Silver Valley at the Star, drilling along strike to
the southeast from known mineralization has produced good results with
the best grading 29.1 opt silver and 8.9% combined lead and zinc over 5
feet. Drilling from underground and surface have confirmed progressively
higher silver grades to the southeast where the mineralization trend is
open. For 2013, more drilling is planned from the recently completed
exploration drift and also from the surface.

At San Juan Silver in Creede, Colorado, drilling in the Equity
ramp continues to have high grades on both the Equity and Amethyst
Veins. Final drilling on the Equity structure includes an intersection
of 0.17 opt gold and 22.3 opt silver over 10.1 feet. The mineralized
zones at the Equity appear to be high grade with strike lengths from 100
to 300 feet but with significant down-plunge potential. Two underground
drills are currently focused on the north-south trending Amethyst
structure. Initial drilling has defined the upper limits of two
distinct, steeply plunging mineralized vein trends along the Amethyst structural
zone and include the intersection 0.27 opt gold and 33.4 opt silver over
4.7 feet.

CONFERENCE CALL AND WEBCAST

A conference call and webcast will be held Tuesday, November 6, at 1:00
p.m. Eastern Time to discuss these results. You may join the conference
call by dialing toll-free 1-866-510-0705 or 1-617-597-5363
internationally. The participant passcode is HECLA. Hecla's live and
archived webcast can be accessed at www.hecla-mining.com
under Investors or via Thomson StreetEvents Network.

ABOUT HECLA

Hecla Mining Company is among the largest and lowest cash cost silver
producers in the U.S. The company has two operating mines, as well as
exploration properties in four world-class silver mining districts in
the U.S. and Mexico.

Cautionary Statements

Statements made which are not historical facts, such as anticipated
payments, litigation outcome (including settlement negotiations),
production, sales of assets, exploration results and plans, costs, and
prices or sales performance are 'forward-looking statements' within the
meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Words
such as 'may,? 'will,? 'should,? 'expects,? 'intends,? 'projects,?
'believes,? 'estimates,? 'targets,? 'anticipates? and similar
expressions are used to identify these forward-looking statements.
Forward-looking statements involve a number of risks and uncertainties
that could cause actual results to differ materially from those
projected, anticipated, expected or implied. These risks and
uncertainties include, but are not limited to, metals price volatility,
volatility of metals production and costs, litigation, regulatory and
environmental risks, operating risks, project development risks,
political risks, labor issues, ability to raise financing and
exploration risks and results. Refer to the company's Form 10-K and 10-Q
reports for a more detailed discussion of factors that may impact
expected future results. The company undertakes no obligation and has no
intention of updating forward-looking statements other than as may be
required by law.

Cautionary Statements to Investors on Reserves and Resources

The United States Securities and Exchange Commission permits mining
companies, in their filings with the SEC, to disclose only those mineral
deposits that a company can economically and legally extract or produce.
We use certain terms on this release, such as 'resource,? 'other
resources,? and 'mineralized materials? that the SEC guidelines strictly
prohibit us from including in our filings with the SEC. U.S. investors
are urged to consider closely the disclosure in our Form 10-K and Form
10-Q. You can review and obtain copies of these filings from the SEC's
website at www.sec.gov.

Non-GAAP Measures

(Unaudited)

This release contains references to a non-GAAP measure of cash costs per
ounce. Cash costs per ounce of silver represent non-U.S. Generally
Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP) measurements that the Company
believes provide management and investors an indication of net cash
flow. Management also uses this measurement for the comparative
monitoring of performance of mining operations period-to-period from a
cash flow perspective. 'Total cash cost per ounce' is a measure
developed by gold companies and used by silver companies in an effort to
provide a comparable standard; however, there can be no assurance that
our reporting of this non-GAAP measure is similar to that reported by
other mining companies. Cost of sales and other direct production costs
and depreciation, depletion and amortization was the most comparable
financial measures calculated in accordance with GAAP to total cash
costs.

The following table calculates cash cost per ounce (in thousands, except
per-ounce amounts):

This release also refers to a non-GAAP measure of earnings after
adjustments. Earnings After Adjustments and Earnings After Adjustments
per share are non-GAAP measures which are indicators of our performance.
They exclude certain impacts which are of a nature which we believe are
not reflective of our underlying performance. Management believes that
earnings after adjustments per common share provides investors with the
ability to better evaluate our underlying operating performance. The
following table reconciles income (loss) applicable to common
shareholders to earnings after adjustments applicable to common
shareholders (in thousands):

Assay Results - Q3 2012