another big buyer, page-6

I suppose that what Barings thought may not be worth the paper it was written on given what (and why) happened to them and indeed, how much markets have changed.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barings_Bank
"Barings Bank (1762 to 1995) was the oldest merchant bank in London[1] until its collapse in 1995 after one of the bank's employees, Nick Leeson, lost £827 million ($1.3 billion) speculating—primarily—on futures contracts."

Having said that, GIP has maintained that the feldspar (which will be dug up if the tin tantalum is dug up), could be worth as much as the tantalum. Then there are the other metals GIP has such as gold, the price for which has passed another high today.