Coeur Announces First Dore Pour at San Bartolome Mine.

Inaugural Ceremony held with Government Officials and Mining Cooperatives

POTOSI, Bolivia -- Coeur d'Alene Mines Corporation (NYSE:CDE) (TSX:CDM) (ASX:CXC) announced today that its new San Bartolome mine, the world's largest pure silver mine, has poured its first silver dore. Additionally, representatives of the Company, local and national mining cooperatives and Bolivian government officials recently marked the inauguration of the new facilities at the San Bartolome silver mine, located in South America's historically richest silver mining area.

San Bartolome is expected to produce six million ounces of silver this year and nine million ounces in 2009, its first full year of production. The complete crushing, milling, leaching, thickening, Merrill-Crowe and smelting facilities are now all commissioned and fully operational. San Bartolome contains an estimated 153 million ounces of probable silver mineral reserves and an additional 34 million ounces of measured and indicated silver mineral resources, with an expected 14-year mine life.

The new plant and tailings facilities were constructed by 2,200 Bolivian workers and employs 250 local workers from Potosi and generates an additional 1,000 mining related jobs in the nearby community. Construction work at San Bartolome, which surpassed five million man hours without a lost time accident, was recently recognized with a top safety award from the International Society of Mine Safety Professionals.

"The San Bartolome mine, a cornerstone of Coeur's growth, is the culmination of the efforts of a great many people, and we at Coeur are especially proud to be associated with the mining cooperatives of Potosi on this project," Dennis E. Wheeler, Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer of Coeur said at the inaugural event in Potosi. "Mining has been taking place here for nearly 450 years, and San Bartolome represents an entirely new way of mining at Potosi. The San Bartolome construction effort is of the highest quality, bringing economic development to Potosi, protecting the environment, and building a state-of-the-art processing plant under the safest levels of worker safety."

Mr. Wheeler added, "Production from the San Bartolome silver mine will drive a 40% increase in our silver production this year to sixteen million ounces and lead to a doubling of our 2008 operating cash flow based on current silver and gold prices."

The mineral rights at San Bartolome are owned by COMIBOL, the Bolivian mining authority, which leases the rights to Empresa Manquiri, Coeur's wholly-owned Bolivian subsidiary, and to the cooperatives. Both COMIBOL and these cooperatives also receive a royalty. Mining taxes applicable to San Bartolome production are returned to the local community in Potosi.

Local and National Bolivia Officials Speak at Inaugural Event in Praise of San Bartolome

Those attending the Inaugural event in support of the project included representatives of the Bolivian Government, the state mining company COMIBOL, and representatives of the mining cooperatives in Potosi. They included:

Honorable Carmen Rosa Velasquez - Senator of Bolivian Government

Ing. Freddy Beltran Reyes - Representative of the Ministry of Mining and Metallurgy 

Ing. German Elias - Departmental Secretary of Mining and Metallurgy and Representative of the Prefect of the Department of Potosi

Ing. Mario Zeballos - Municipal Councilman of the City of Potosi

Ing. Alejandro Vargas - Manager of Technical Services of COMIBOL

Mr. Benedicto Llano - President of the Departmental Federation of Mining Cooperatives of Potosi

Mr. Esteban Martinez - Vice President of the National Federation of Mining Cooperatives and representative of Reserva Fiscal Cooperative

Mr. Felipe Jaita - Representative of Manquiri workers

Speaking at the recent inauguration, Mr. Freddy Beltran, Representative of the Ministry of Mining and Metallurgy, stated, "We are happy to be here and see that the project is being launched - a project that will generate resources in different ways for the population of Potosi. It is not only a matter of generating direct employment for the operation - the multiplier effect of this operation is very significant. Today, we see that mining is here and has a very important future in our country. Of course the government will support these types of enterprises. We take this opportunity to express our satisfaction to have been asked to this historic ceremony and would like to thank and congratulate Coeur, Minera Manquiri and the San Bartolome project executives."

German Elias, Departmental (Provincial) Secretary of Mining and Metallurgy, remarked during his speech, "There are winds of change supported by a government that has confidence in the private sector, that has confidence in Bolivians and the mining cooperatives and that, through COMIBOL, has established a very important strategic alliance at San Bartolome. Of course, we are delighted because Coeur is a model company in its management, in industrial safety, and in protecting the environment. This is a mega project that, together with the other mega-projects, is supported by the government. The government supports these important endeavors that involve strategic alliances with the social sector."

Mr. Esteban Martinez, Vice President of the Bolivian National Federation of Mining Cooperatives and representative of the Reserva Fiscal Mining Cooperative, commented in his prepared remarks, "We now realize that it is imperative for Bolivia, particularly for Potosi, to bring technology and investment to the cooperative mining sector and to the mining sector as a whole. Now we realize the value of this type of company and the importance of these joint ventures for the country."

Alejandro Vargas, Manager of Technical Services of COMIBOL, Bolivia's state-owned mining company, added during his speech at the inauguration, "San Bartolome is the first project in Bolivia to establish a strategic relationship with the Potosi mining cooperatives and COMIBOL. Manquiri has partnered through joint ventures and leasing contracts with COMIBOL and seven of the mining cooperatives operating in the Cerro Rico area, which represent approximately 25 percent of the population of Potosi. I wish to express my deepest congratulations to the technical team and to the company's top executives for having made this historic project come true for the country and for the mining sector. I wish to congratulate everyone who has participated in this Project."

Mr. Juan Tarqui, Chief of the Ayllu Jesus de Machaca, remarked, "Back when negotiations began with Empresa Manquiri, we could not even imagine what we'd be seeing today. We wish much success to Empresa Manquiri, for we know that should they do well, we, the communities and the population of Potosi will also do well."

Photos of the inaugural event and San Bartolome can be viewed on the company website at www.coeur.com.

About Coeur

Coeur d'Alene Mines Corporation is one of the world's leading silver companies and also a significant gold producer, with anticipated 2008 production of approximately 16 million ounces of silver, a 40% increase over 2007 levels. Coeur, which has no silver or gold production hedged, is now producing silver at the world's largest pure silver mine - San Bartolome in Bolivia - and is currently constructing another world-leading silver mine - Palmarejo in Mexico. The Company also operates two underground mines in southern Chile and Argentina and one surface mine in Nevada; and owns non-operating interests in two low-cost mines in Australia. The Company also owns a major gold project in Alaska and conducts exploration activities in Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Mexico and Tanzania. Coeur common shares are traded on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol CDE, the Toronto Stock Exchange under the symbol CDM, and its CHESS Depositary Interests are traded on the Australian Securities Exchange under symbol CXC.

Cautionary Statement

This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of securities legislation in the United States, Canada, and Australia, including statements regarding anticipated operating results. Such statements are subject to numerous assumptions and uncertainties, many of which are outside the control of Coeur. Operating, exploration and financial data, and other statements in this presentation are based on information that Coeur believes is reasonable, but involve significant uncertainties affecting the business of Coeur, including, but not limited to, future gold and silver prices, costs, ore grades, estimation of gold and silver reserves, mining and processing conditions, construction schedules, currency exchange rates, and the completion and/or updating of mining feasibility studies, changes that could result from future acquisitions of new mining properties or businesses, the risks and hazards inherent in the mining business (including environmental hazards, industrial accidents, weather or geologically related conditions), regulatory and permitting matters, risks inherent in the ownership and operation of, or investment in, mining properties or businesses in foreign countries, as well as other uncertainties and risk factors set out in filings made from time to time with the SEC, the Canadian securities regulators, and the Australian Securities Exchange, including, without limitation, Coeur's reports on Form 10-K and Form 10-Q. Actual results, developments and timetables could vary significantly from the estimates presented. Readers are cautioned not to put undue reliance on forward-looking statements. Coeur disclaims any intent or obligation to update publicly such forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. Additionally, Coeur undertakes no obligation to comment on analyses, expectations or statements made by third parties in respect of Coeur, its financial or operating results or its securities.

Donald J. Birak, Coeur's Senior Vice President of Exploration, is the qualified person responsible for the preparation of the scientific and technical information concerning Coeur's mineral projects in this press release. For a description of the key assumptions, parameters and methods used to estimate mineral reserves and resources, as well as a general discussion of the extent to which the estimates may be affected by any known environmental, permitting, legal, title, taxation, socio-political, marketing or other relevant factors, please see the Technical Reports for each of Coeur's properties as filed on SEDAR at www.sedar.com.

Cautionary Note to U.S. Investors - The United States Securities and Exchange Commission permits U.S. mining companies, in their filings with the SEC, to disclose only those mineral deposits that a company can economically and legally extract or produce. We use certain terms in this press release, such as "measured," "indicated," and "inferred" "resources," that are recognized by Canadian and Australian regulations, but that SEC guidelines generally prohibit U.S. registered companies from including in their filings with the SEC. U.S. investors are urged to consider closely the disclosure in our Form 10-K which may be secured from us, or from the SEC's website at http://www.sec.gov/edgar.shtml.