From Share Talk in February26 Nov 2023 23:15
These diamonds need to be handed over, if they haven’t been already. They need to be cleaned, valued, prepared, and then sold. And diamonds have disappeared without a trace from the central bank’s vaults in the past — including 350,000 carats worth an estimated $140 million in July 2021.
Importantly, VAST are unlikely to notify investors that they have the diamonds in their possession before they are sold, as I consider it likely that the company will arrange a sale to have the diamonds sold on directly from the vault at the Reserve Bank rather than take physical possession.
And here’s the rub — unless I’m mistaken, investors have no idea what these diamonds are worth. For perspective, one historical article suggests that the entire central bank stockpile including VAST’s diamonds is worth between $32 million and $1.7 billion.
Previous auctions of Zimbabwean diamonds have fetched an average of about $400 per carat, but this rises to $12,000 per carat for exceptional items. As a low ballpark, consider that VAST’s diamonds are below average, and sell for $300 per carat. At 129,400 carats, that’s $38.82 million. Excluding expenses, investors are looking at a rough profit of $35 million — more than double the current market cap.