An assay is the standard procedure for determining the metal content of a mineral sample. Drill core, RC and channel chips as well as bulk samples are all assayed to determine the metal content, and therefore value, of the rock being evaluated for a mining operation. The problem is that not all assays are created equal. This can be illustrated by the strange example of Prophecy Platinum, no, I meant Wellgreen Platinum, no again, I meant Nickel Creek Platinum ( TSX:NCP ). Whatever they call themselves these days, the company is engaged in the development of the Wellgreen Ni-Cu-PGM deposit in the Yukon. And man, do these guys and gals have a lesson to teach us. It seems few people to this day seem to understand what, why or how the disappointment at Wellgreen happened ... possibly not even some of the people at the company. So I thought maybe it's time to pull back the curtain and look a bit closer.