KNOX.V · 2026-07-22 07:05:00

Vault Strategic Reports Widespread Anomalous Tungsten Values Up To 1,100 PPM And Manganese Values Up To 4,430 PPM At War Bond, Nevada

Drill Results Corporate Updates

VANCOUVER, BRITISH COLUMBIA - JULY 22, 2026 – TheNewswire - VAULT STRATEGIC MINING CORP. (TSXV: KNOX) (OTCID: KNXFF) (FSE: M850) (WKN: A41WE4) ("VAULT" OR THE "COMPANY") is pleased to announce that assay results from 42 rock and soil samples collected during the Company’s Phase 1 exploration program have returned widespread anomalous tungsten values across the War Bond Tungsten Project ("War Bond" or the "Project"), including rock results of up to 1,100 parts per million tungsten ("ppm W") and manganese values of up to 4,430 parts per million ("ppm Mn"). The results support an emerging, structurally controlled tungsten-skarn model across the Project, which encompasses the historical War Bond, Tactite and Thursday tungsten mine areas in western Nevada.

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Figure 1. See Recent War Bond video here.

Nevada was ranked the world’s top mining jurisdiction in the Fraser Institute’s Annual Survey of Mining Companies, released on February 26, 2026.1

A total of 42 samples, comprising 30 rock-chip and 12 soil samples, were collected from six field areas and submitted to ALS Geochemistry in Reno, Nevada, for analysis. The results will be integrated with the Company’s previously announced drone-borne magnetic survey and historical data to refine geological interpretations, prioritize follow-up mapping and sampling, support drill-target generation and drill-permitting activities, and form part of the technical foundation for the Company’s maiden NI 43-101 technical report being prepared by veteran geologist William "Bill" Feyerabend and Amazona Enterprises, as announced on July 15, 2026.

Quinn Field-Dyte, Chief Executive Officer of Vault Strategic Mining Corp., stated: “Phase 1 has produced a very encouraging set of results across War Bond. Rock assays reached 1,100 ppm tungsten, the Caved Adit returned an average of 780 ppm tungsten across three samples, and soils along the interpreted structural trend returning up to 187 ppm tungsten. Equally important, the strongest tungsten values closely correlate with garnet-bearing tactite and a consistent molybdenum-bismuth-copper-manganese pathfinder signature, giving us a clear exploration model for follow-up work. The elevated manganese values appear to form part of this broader skarn geochemical signature and will be evaluated alongside the tungsten data. By integrating these results with the drone-borne magnetic survey and historical information, we expect to refine priority targets, advance drill-permitting activities and support the maiden NI 43-101 technical report being prepared by Bill Feyerabend and Amazona Enterprises. We believe War Bond’s historical production, Nevada location and expanding modern dataset position the Project as a compelling North American tungsten opportunity at a time when secure domestic critical-mineral supply is increasingly important.”

Phase 1 Geochemistry Highlights

Tungsten values are strongly anomalous across most sampled areas, with rock assays up to 1,100 ppm W (0.11% W), approximately three orders of magnitude above average crustal background of approximately 1 to 2 ppm W.
The Caved Adit returned the highest average tungsten value of the sampled zones at 780 ppm W across three rock samples, with individual results ranging from 460 to 1,050 ppm W. The Tactite East and West pits averaged 370 ppm W and 308 ppm W, respectively.
At the War Bond Pit, garnet-rich tactite samples TT-16 through TT-20 returned 155 to 1,100 ppm W, while nearby garnet-poor altered rocks returned 3.6 to 16 ppm W, supporting a strong relationship between skarn development and tungsten enrichment.
Soils collected along the interpreted structural and mineralized trend returned up to 187 ppm W and clearly distinguished the Tactite and War Bond areas from background-level soils elsewhere on the property, providing a practical geochemical vector for follow-up exploration.
The highest-tungsten samples contain coherent molybdenum, bismuth, copper and manganese enrichment. Elevated iron together with manganese also appears to be a useful indicator of proximal tungsten-skarn mineralization.

Collectively, the first-pass data supports a structurally controlled tungsten-skarn system developed near diorite-granodiorite intrusive contacts with marble and metasedimentary rocks. Field observations and geochemically trace mineralization exposed intermittently through soil and aeolian sand cover for an approximately one mile (1.6 kilometers ) north-south structural corridor. The sampled mineralization appears to occur across broader fractured and skarn-altered zones rather than being confined to a single quartz vein. Estimated exposed surface widths reach approximately 160 feet (48.8 metres) at the War Bond open cut and 100 feet (32.3 metres) at the Tactite open cut; these are field estimates and do not represent confirmed true widths or continuity.

Figure 1. Phase 1 Rock Assay Results

Sample	W (ppm)	Mn (ppm)
TT-2	580	3480
TT-3	13.4	3730
TT-4	17.9	3140
TT-5	420	2030
TT-6	270	1660
TT-7	109	2110
TT-8	650	227
TT-9	400	136
TT-10	440	288
TT-11	320	214
TT-12	350	186
TT-16	460	2990
TT-17	155	3310
TT-18	1100	4040
TT-19	460	4430
TT-20	520	2530
TT-21	9.92	465
TT-22	4.51	333
TT-23	3.65	547
TT-24	3.99	287
TT-25	3.8	220
TT-26	15.75	906
TT-32	1050	3380
TT-33	460	2950
TT-34	830	3850
TT-35	3.54	150.5
TT-36	6.79	426
TT-39	64.8	183
TT-40	10.6	193.5

Strategic Importance of War Bond Amid Global Supply Chain Risks

War Bond's strategic relevance is reinforced by escalating geopolitical tensions, uncertainty affecting global shipping routes and continued restrictions on critical mineral exports. As the United States, Canada and allied nations work to strengthen secure domestic supply chains, tungsten remains an essential defense and industrial metal due to its exceptional hardness, density and heat resistance. Tungsten is classified as a critical mineral by both the United States and Canada and is used in:

Armor-piercing ammunition and kinetic energy penetrators;
Missile guidance and weapons systems;
Aerospace and aviation components;
High-performance cutting and machining tools;
Semiconductor manufacturing equipment; and
Energy infrastructure and advanced industrial technologies.

Figure 2. Likely tungsten-related skarn or tactite-style mineralization observed at War Bond

Located within one of Nevada's historic tungsten mining districts, War Bond encompasses the War Bond, Tactite and Thursday mine areas, which collectively form part of a historically productive tungsten camp. Vault is applying modern exploration techniques to evaluate known mineralization and identify additional targets across the property. With long-term demand supported by defense spending, infrastructure investment, electrification, advanced manufacturing and artificial intelligence-related industrial growth, the Company believes War Bond is well positioned within the broader effort to develop a secure North American tungsten supply chain.

War Bond Tungsten Project: Historical Context

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Figure 3. LiDAR survey of the historical War Bond Tungsten Mine

The War Bond claim package comprises 20 unpatented lode mining claims covering approximately 400 acres in the Delaware Mining District of western Nevada. The property encompasses the historical War Bond Mine and the Tactite and Thursday tungsten workings.

Available online historical records appear to use War Bond, Tactite, Thursday, Old Discovery and Knight Claims as related or overlapping names within a broader tungsten occurrence rather than as distinct modern projects. Western Mining History's MRDS-derived War Bond Mine record identifies War Bond as a tungsten mine in Douglas County, Nevada, and lists Tactite and Thursday, Old Discovery and Knight Claims as secondary names.2

A separate MRDS-derived War Bond Tungsten Mine record lists Tactite & Thursday, Old Discovery Claim, Knight Claims, Tungsten Valley Claim, Yellow Problem Claim and Margret Claim as related secondary names. The record also identifies Carson Tungsten Co. as the owner, provides an information year of 1952 and classifies the operation as a past producer.3

Historical descriptions associate tungsten mineralization in the area with scheelite-bearing tactite or skarn developed near granite-limestone contacts. The Nevada Bureau of Mines and Geology publication Mineral Resources of Douglas, Ormsby, and Washoe Counties describes the Tactite Thursday claim as being located approximately 15 miles southeast of Carson City in Section 9, T. 14 N., R. 21 E., and reports scheelite in a small tactite area near a granite-limestone contact.4

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Figure 4. Likely tungsten-related skarn or tactite-style mineralization observed at War Bond

The MRDS-derived Tactite Thursday record describes the occurrence as a tungsten skarn with scheelite mineralization and epidote, garnet, quartz and calcite gangue. The record identifies two principal mineralized areas: a west zone with narrow scheelite-bearing widths reporting up to 0.3% WO3 and an east zone with small scheelite shoots reporting values of 0.25% to 0.45% WO3 over widths of 4 to 8 feet.5

Historical assay and laboratory records contained in the Nevada Bureau of Mines and Geology Digital Library file titled Preliminary Examination of Tactite and Thursday Group include selected and dump-sample results from 1942 and 1943. Reported results include a selected sample from the upper location hole on Tactite Claim No. 1 grading 14.40% WO3, two additional 1942 samples grading 0.8% WO3 and 0.9% WO3, and a 1943 University of Nevada State Analytical Mining Laboratory report describing metamorphosed rock with garnet and traces of scheelite grading 0.35% tungsten trioxide.6

Historical production references are limited but provide relevant exploration context. The MRDS-derived War Bond Mine record lists production in 1953, a production period from 1952 to 1953 and a reported grade range of approximately 0.3% to 0.45% WO3. The Tactite Thursday record also states that a 250-ton test lot averaging 0.3% WO3 was mined from the Old Discovery East Pit.7

Collectively, these records describe a historically explored tungsten skarn system with documented scheelite-bearing tactite mineralization, surface workings, sampling and limited historical mining or test-lot production.

Historical Information and Exploration Context

The properties comprising the Company's portfolio have been subject to historical exploration, development work and, in several cases, past production. The historical exploration results, sampling, drilling and other technical information referenced in this release predate National Instrument 43-101 - Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects ("NI 43-101") and do not comply with current NI 43-101 requirements. Accordingly, this information should not be relied upon as current or verified technical disclosure. Management nevertheless considers it relevant to exploration targeting, geological interpretation and the design of modern exploration and evaluation programs.

Management believes the historical work and past production provide a useful foundation for modern exploration when reassessed using contemporary geological models, exploration technologies, metallurgical processes and prevailing commodity prices. Readers are cautioned, however, that the historical results, resource estimates and economic conclusions referenced herein have not been verified or confirmed.

To define current mineral resources, assess metallurgy and evaluate economic viability, the Company would be required to complete confirmation drilling, modern metallurgical studies, updated technical evaluations, NI 43-101-compliant mineral resource estimates and appropriate feasibility or economic studies. There is no assurance that historical results will be confirmed or that the Project will advance to economic viability.

About Vault Strategic Mining Corp.

Vault Strategic Mining Corp. is a North American resource company focused on acquiring and advancing strategic and critical mineral projects in top-tier mining jurisdictions. The Company targets historical and underexplored assets with the potential for value creation through modern exploration and disciplined development. Investors and stakeholders are encouraged to follow the Company on LinkedIn, X and subscribe for updates at https://vaultstrategic.com/.

Vault Strategic Mining Corp. trades on the TSX Venture Exchange (TSXV: KNOX), OTC Markets (OTCID: KNXFF) and the Frankfurt Stock Exchange (FSE: M850).

Data Verification

Historical information referenced in this release has been reviewed against available reports; however, it has not been independently verified under current NI 43-101 standards or modern quality assurance and quality control procedures and is therefore considered supportive for exploration guidance only. The Company cautions that past results or production from nearby properties are not necessarily indicative of mineralization on the Company's properties.

Qualified Person

Mr. William Feyerabend, CPG, an independent consulting geologist and a Qualified Person as defined under National Instrument 43-101, has reviewed and approved the scientific and technical disclosure contained in this news release.

On behalf of the Board:

Vault Strategic Mining Corp.

"Quinn Field-Dyte"

Chief Executive Officer and Director

Tel: 604.343.4338 | Email: [email protected]

ANY SECURITIES REFERRED TO HEREIN WILL NOT BE REGISTERED UNDER THE U.S. SECURITIES ACT OF 1933 (THE "1933 ACT") AND MAY NOT BE OFFERED OR SOLD IN THE UNITED STATES OR TO A U.S. PERSON IN THE ABSENCE OF SUCH REGISTRATION OR AN EXEMPTION FROM THE REGISTRATION REQUIREMENTS OF THE 1933 ACT.

Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

Disclaimer for Forward-Looking Information

This news release contains forward-looking information and forward-looking statements within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities laws concerning Vault Strategic Mining Corp. (“Vault” or the “Company”) and the War Bond Tungsten Project. Forward-looking information in this news release includes, but is not limited to, statements regarding the interpretation and significance of the Company’s Phase 1 rock and soil sampling results; the potential extent, continuity, grade and geological controls of tungsten and associated mineralization; the potential for a structurally controlled tungsten-skarn system or broader bulk-mining target; the integration of assay results with historical information and the Company’s drone-borne magnetic survey; the refinement of geological interpretations and priority exploration areas; future field validation, geological mapping, sampling, mineralogical studies, target refinement and drill target generation; drill-permitting activities; Phase 2 exploration planning; the preparation and completion of the Company’s maiden NI 43-101 technical report; the potential confirmation of historical exploration and production information; the Company’s ability to complete additional exploration work; the strategic importance of tungsten and manganese; and the Company’s future plans, objectives and expectations for the War Bond Tungsten Project. Forward-looking information is often, but not always, identified by words such as “plans,” “expects,” “is expected,” “intends,” “anticipates,” “believes,” “proposes,” “estimates,” “may,” “could,” “would,” “might,” “will,” “potential,” “target,” “advance,” “prepare,” “support,” “confirm,” “indicate” and similar expressions, or statements that certain actions, events or results may, could, would, might or will occur or be achieved.

Forward-looking information is based on the current expectations, estimates, assumptions and projections of management as of the date of this news release. Such information is subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause actual results, performance or achievements to differ materially from those expressed or implied by the forward-looking information. These risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to, risks inherent in mineral exploration and development; uncertainty regarding the interpretation, significance and representativeness of sampling and assay results; the limited and preliminary nature of the Phase 1 exploration program; the possibility that future exploration may not confirm the continuity, extent or grade of mineralization indicated by current or historical results; the possibility that field-identified minerals may not be confirmed through petrographic, mineralogical or other analytical work; limitations associated with analytical methods, including the potential incomplete recovery of refractory tungsten minerals; uncertainty regarding the accuracy and reliability of historical information; the possibility that additional exploration may not identify mineral resources, establish economic viability or generate suitable drill targets; changes in exploration plans or budgets; the availability of personnel, contractors and equipment; permitting and regulatory risks; commodity price volatility; market conditions; financing risks; title and property risks; environmental risks; general economic conditions; geopolitical and supply-chain developments; and other risks associated with the mineral exploration and resource industries. Although the Company believes that the assumptions and expectations reflected in the forward-looking information are reasonable, no assurance can be given that such assumptions or expectations will prove to be correct. Forward-looking information contained in this news release is made as of the date hereof and should not be relied upon as representing the Company’s views as of any subsequent date. Except as required by applicable securities laws, the Company undertakes no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking information, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

1 https://www.mining.com/nevada-tops-fraser-survey-as-ontario-saskatchewan-rise/

2 Western Mining History, "War Bond Mine," MRDS-derived record, accessed May 11, 2026, https://westernmininghistory.com/mine-detail/10014364/. The record identifies War Bond Mine as a tungsten mine in Douglas County, Nevada and lists Tactite and Thursday, Old Discovery and Knight Claims as secondary names.

3 Western Mining History, "War Bond Tungsten Mine," MRDS-derived record, accessed May 11, 2026, https://westernmininghistory.com/mine-detail/10149480/. The record lists Tactite & Thursday, Old Discovery Claim, Knight Claims, Tungsten Valley Claim, Yellow Problem Claim and Margret Claim as secondary names, identifies Carson Tungsten Co. as owner with an information year of 1952, and lists the operation category as past producer.

4 T.D. Overton, "Mineral Resources of Douglas, Ormsby, and Washoe Counties," Nevada Bureau of Mines and Geology Bulletin 46 / University of Nevada Bulletin, v. 41, no. 9, 1947, p. 42, accessed May 11, 2026, https://epubs.nsla.nv.gov/statepubs/epubs/196337.pdf. The publication describes the Tactite Thursday claim location and notes scheelite in a small tactite area near a granite-limestone contact.

5 Western Mining History, "Tactite Thursday," MRDS-derived record, accessed May 11, 2026, https://westernmininghistory.com/mine-detail/10043777/. The record identifies the deposit model as W skarn, lists scheelite as material mineral, and includes historical comments on mineralized zones and reported WO3 values.

6 Nevada Bureau of Mines and Geology Digital Library, "Preliminary Examination of Tactite and Thursday Group," Mining District Files, ID 13900011, Smith, R.M., 1943, Carson City, Delaware Mining District, Thursday Group, property report and assay report, accessed May 11, 2026, https://collections.nbmg.unr.edu/pages/view.php?ref=7433. The uploaded Tactite Thursday PDF contains the same historical laboratory pages reporting 1942 and 1943 sample values.

7 Western Mining History, "War Bond Mine," MRDS-derived record, accessed May 11, 2026, https://westernmininghistory.com/mine-detail/10014364/; Western Mining History, "Tactite Thursday," MRDS-derived record, accessed May 11, 2026, https://westernmininghistory.com/mine-detail/10043777/. The War Bond Mine record lists production year 1953, time period 1952 to 1953 and a grade description of 0.3% to 0.45% WO3. The Tactite Thursday record states that a 250-ton test lot averaging 0.3% WO3 was mined from the Old Discovery East Pit.

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