I found the following observation on the JPM-board directed to Blythe Masters: "you've been scouring the miners to front run buying their silver for 15% premiums..anyone can see for themselves that the miners are reporting their average realized selling prices last qtr. are way higher than average market prices and they've been overpaid for their silver which has then been sold into the COMEX at a loss to make the price of silver look lower to the sheeple."

Then I also found the following in the report by Hecla today:

"In the fourth quarter and full year, realized metals prices exceeded market prices primarily because of provisional price gains of $9.6 million in the fourth quarter and $16.6 million for the year due largely to increased precious metals prices in the time period between the shipment of concentrate and final settlement.

Realized $32.51 versus average price of $26.43 in Q4.

I am not sure whether this implies a premium paid (no time, I am cooking for the family), but maybe the statement by the anti-JP poster is right and during Q4 JPM has been buying silver from the miners at a huge premium. Let's see what CDE reports on Monday.