A mining company would be more willing to pay a higher price per ounce in the ground if the gold is cheaper to get out of the rock. At least two (and likely many more) variables affect this.

Grade: What is the average grade of the aforementioned buyouts?

Geology: What type of mine will need to be built in order to access the reserves?

With much talk and math at 1g/ton (and I sure hope our average grade is higher than that) what is the cost of mining those reserves? Surely there is a cut-off grade for mining of gold reserves. You could have millions of ounces that just aren't worth mining. A company may only get paid for the gold that is worth going after, like in the vein structures. The true value of our reserves isn't just in the number of ounces but in the grade and geology.

IMHO