When Geo's and mining people talk of "advanced explorers/developers" they generally mean the project is well advanced, but pre-production, and milestones such as initial Ore Reserve statements and financing may have yet to be realised. This is opposed to "producers" such as AXM, who are obviously pouring gold, and in this case may still have considerable exploration upside, as you pointed out.
AXM Price at posting:
14.2¢ Sentiment: None Disclosure: Not Held