Hecla Acquires Interest in Brixton Metals Corporation

Hecla Mining Company (NYSE:HL)
announced today that a wholly owned subsidiary of Hecla has entered into
a subscription agreement to acquire 17,250,000 common shares of Brixton
Metals Corporation ('Brixton?). Subject to receipt of approval by the
TSX Venture Exchange, the common shares will be issued to the wholly
owned subsidiary of Hecla from treasury at a price of $0.15 per common
share for total gross proceeds to Brixton of $2,587,500. Upon completion
of the transactions contemplated by the subscription agreement (the
'Proposed Transaction?), the 17,250,000 common shares will represent and
Hecla will exercise control over approximately 19.8% of the then
outstanding common shares of Brixton. Hecla has the right to maintain
its proportional ownership interest in Brixton through the exercise of a
pre-emptive right. In addition, Hecla has the right to appoint one
representative to the Board of Directors of Brixton and will be
providing technical assistance to Brixton.

Brixton is a Canadian-based resource exploration company currently
focused on the exploration of the Thorn Project located in the Atlin
Mining District in northern British Columbia.

'Exploration results at the Thorn property show several different styles
of precious metal mineralization that highlight the potential for a
substantive discovery,? said Hecla′s President and Chief Executive
Officer Phillips S. Baker, Jr. 'We′re excited to be an integral part of
their plans with our investment and believe Brixton has a strong
management team in place to build shareholder value. Hecla also brings a
wealth of knowledge gained from more than 120 years of mining and
exploration experience, and this expertise will benefit the Brixton
team.?

The Proposed Transaction is subject to certain conditions, including the
approval of the TSX Venture Exchange.

The common shares will be acquired for investment purposes by Hecla.
Hecla does not have any present intention to acquire ownership of, or
control over, additional securities of Brixton. It is the intention of
Hecla to evaluate its investment in Brixton on a continuing basis and
such holdings may be increased or decreased in the future. In completing
this investment Hecla is relying on Subsection 2.3(1) of Canadian
National Instrument 45-106 ? Prospectus and Registration Exemptions as
Hecla is an accredited investor. For the purposes of Canadian National
Instrument 62-103, the address of Hecla is 6500 N. Mineral Drive, Suite
200, Coeur ?d′Alene, Idaho, 83815, USA.

About Hecla Mining Company

Established in 1891, Hecla Mining Company is a leading low cash cost
primary U.S. silver producer. The company has two operating mines in
Alaska and Idaho and 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, production, sales of assets, exploration
results and plans, prospects and opportunities including reserves,
resources, and mineralization, 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,
environmental and litigation risks, operating risks, project development
risks, political and regulatory 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. Hecla undertakes no obligation and has
no intention of updating forward-looking statements other than as may be
required by law.

For further information, or to obtain a copy of the early warning report
filed in connection with Hecla′s holdings in Brixton, please contact:

Hecla Mining Company

Jeanne DuPont, 1-800-HECLA91 (1-800-432-5291)

Corporate
Communications Coordinator

Investor and Public Relations

hmc-info@hecla-mining.com

www.hecla-mining.com