Security Valuation  Portfolio securities listed on U.S. and foreign stock exchanges are generally valued at the last reported sale price on the date for which the valuation is being made on the exchange on which the securities are primarily traded, or the last reported bid price if a sale price is not available. Securities traded over the counter are valued at the last sale price or the last reported bid price if a sale price is not available. Securities listed on foreign stock exchanges may be fair valued based on significant events that have occurred subsequent to the close of the foreign markets.

Securities for which current market quotations are not readily available are valued at their fair value as determined in good faith by, or in accordance with procedures approved by, the Company’s Board of Directors. If a security is valued at a “fair value”, that value is likely to be different from the last quoted price for the security. Various factors may be reviewed in order to make a good faith determination of a security’s fair value. These factors include, but are not limited to, the nature of the security; relevant financial or business developments of the issuer; actively traded similar or related securities; conversion rights on the security; and changes in overall market conditions.

Where the Company holds securities listed on foreign stock exchanges and American Depository Receipts (“ADRs”) representing these securities are actively traded on the New York Stock Exchange, the securities normally are fair valued based on the last reported sales price of the ADRs.

The difference between cost and current value is reflected separately as net unrealized appreciation (depreciation) on investments. The net realized gain or loss from the sale of securities is determined for accounting purposes on the identified cost basis.

The Company adopted Financial Accounting Standards Board Statement of Financial Accounting Standards No. 157, “Fair Value Measurements” (“SFAS 157”), effective December 1, 2007. In accordance with SFAS 157, fair value is defined as the price that the Company would receive to sell an investment or pay to transfer a liability in a timely transaction with an independent buyer in the principal market, or in the absence of a principal market the most advantageous market for the investment or liability. SFAS 157 establishes a three-tier hierarchy to distinguish between (1) inputs that reflect the assumptions market participants would use in pricing an asset or liability developed based on market data obtained from sources independent of the reporting entity (observable inputs) and (2) inputs that reflect the reporting entity’s own assumptions about the assumptions market participants would use in pricing an asset or liability developed based on the best information available in the circumstances (unobservable inputs) and to establish classification of fair value measurements for disclosure purposes. Various inputs are used in determining the value of the Company’s investments. The inputs are summarized in the three broad levels listed below.

Level 1 – quoted prices in active markets for identical investments
Level 2 – other significant observable inputs (including quoted prices for similar investments, interest rates, credit risk, etc.)
Level 3 – significant unobservable inputs (including the Company’s own assumptions in determining the fair value of investments)

The inputs or methodology used for valuing securities are not necessarily an indication of the risk associated with investing in those securities.

The following is a summary of the inputs used as of August 31, 2009 in valuing the Company’s investments at market value:

Risk It is a fundamental policy of the Company that at least 80% of its total assets be invested in securities of companies engaged, directly or indirectly, in the exploration, mining or processing of gold or other precious minerals and/or in other gold and precious mineral investments. A substantial portion of the Company’s assets currently is invested in South African companies and other companies having significant assets or operations in South Africa. The Company is, therefore, subject to gold and precious mineral related risks as well as risks related to investing in South Africa, including political, economic, regulatory, currency fluctuation and foreign exchange risks. The Company currently is invested in a limited number of securities and thus holds large positions in certain securities. Because the Company’s investments are concentrated in a limited number of securities of companies involved in the holding or mining of gold and other precious minerals and related activities, the net asset value of the Company may be subject to greater volatility than that of a more broadly diversified investment company.