COMMON STOCK PURCHASE WARRANT STERLING MINING COMPANY

Exhibit 10.3

Common Stock Purchase Warrant

NEITHER THIS SECURITY NOR THE SECURITIES INTO WHICH THIS SECURITY IS EXERCISABLE HAVE BEEN REGISTERED WITH THE SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION OR THE SECURITIES COMMISSION OF ANY STATE IN RELIANCE UPON AN EXEMPTION FROM REGISTRATION UNDER THE SECURITIES ACT OF 1933, AS AMENDED (THE “SECURITIES ACT”), AND, ACCORDINGLY, MAY NOT BE OFFERED OR SOLD EXCEPT PURSUANT TO AN EFFECTIVE REGISTRATION STATEMENT UNDER THE SECURITIES ACT OR PURSUANT TO AN AVAILABLE EXEMPTION FROM, OR IN A TRANSACTION NOT SUBJECT TO, THE REGISTRATION REQUIREMENTS OF THE SECURITIES ACT AND IN ACCORDANCE WITH APPLICABLE STATE SECURITIES LAWS AS EVIDENCED BY A LEGAL OPINION OF COUNSEL TO THE TRANSFEROR TO SUCH EFFECT, THE SUBSTANCE OF WHICH SHALL BE REASONABLY ACCEPTABLE TO THE COMPANY.

COMMON STOCK PURCHASE WARRANT

STERLING MINING COMPANY

THIS COMMON STOCK PURCHASE WARRANT (the “Warrant”) certifies that, for value received,                  (the “Holder”), is entitled, upon the terms and subject to the limitations on exercise and the conditions hereinafter set forth, at any time on or after                  and on or prior to the close of business on                 , but not thereafter, to subscribe for and purchase from Sterling Mining Company, an Idaho corporation (the “Company”), up to                  shares (the “Warrant Shares”) of Common Stock, par value $0.05 per share, of the Company (the “Common Stock”). The purchase price of one share of Common Stock under this Warrant shall be equal to the Exercise Price, as defined in Section 1(b).

Section 1. Exercise.

a) Exercise of Warrant. Exercise of the purchase rights represented by this Warrant may be made, in whole or in part, at any time or times on or after                  and on or before                  by delivery to the Company of a duly executed facsimile copy of the Notice of Exercise Form annexed hereto (or such other office or agency of the Company as it may designate by notice in writing to the registered Holder at the address of such Holder appearing on the books of the Company); provided, however, within five Business Days (a weekday on which banks are open to transact business in the state of Idaho) of the date said Notice of Exercise is delivered to the Company, the Holder shall have surrendered this Warrant to the Company and the Company shall have received payment of the aggregate Exercise Price of the shares thereby purchased by wire transfer or cashier’s check drawn on a United States bank.

b) Exercise Price. The exercise price of the Common Stock under this Warrant shall be $            , subject to adjustment hereunder (the “Exercise Price”).

c) Mechanics of Exercise.

i. Authorization of Warrant Shares. The Company covenants that all Warrant Shares that may be issued upon the exercise of the purchase rights represented by this Warrant will, upon exercise of the purchase rights represented by this Warrant, be duly authorized, validly issued, fully paid and nonassessable and free from all taxes, liens and charges in respect of the issue thereof (other than taxes in respect of any transfer occurring contemporaneously with such issue).

ii. Delivery of Certificates Upon Exercise. Certificates for shares purchased hereunder shall be delivered to the address specified by the Holder in the Notice of Exercise within five Business Days after the date of delivery to the Company of the Notice of Exercise Form, surrender of this Warrant and payment of the aggregate Exercise Price as set forth above (“Warrant Share Delivery Date”). This Warrant shall be deemed to have been exercised on the date the Exercise Price is received by the Company.

iii. Delivery of New Warrants Upon Exercise. If this Warrant shall have been exercised in part, the Company shall, at the time of delivery of the certificate or certificates representing Warrant Shares, deliver to Holder a new Warrant evidencing the rights of Holder to purchase the unpurchased Warrant Shares called for by this Warrant, which new Warrant shall in all other respects be identical with this Warrant.

iv. No Fractional Shares or Scrip. No fractional shares or scrip representing fractional shares shall be issued upon the exercise of this Warrant. As to any fraction of a share that Holder would otherwise be entitled to purchase upon such exercise, such fractional Warrant Share shall be disregarded and the number of Warrant Shares issuable upon such exercise, in the aggregate, shall be the nearest whole number of Warrant Shares.

Section 3. Certain Adjustments. If the Company, at any time while this Warrant is outstanding subdivides (by any stock split, stock dividend, recapitalization, reorganization, reclassification or otherwise) its shares of Common Stock into a greater number of shares, then after the date of record for effecting such subdivision, the Exercise Price shall be proportionately reduced, or if the Company combines (by reverse stock split, recapitalization, reorganization, reclassification or otherwise) its shares of Common Stock into a smaller number of shares, the Exercise Price shall be proportionately increased.

Section 4. Transfer of Warrant.

a) Transferability. Subject to compliance with any applicable securities laws and the conditions set forth herein, this Warrant and all rights hereunder are transferable,

in whole or in part, upon surrender of this Warrant at the principal office of the Company, together with a written assignment of this Warrant substantially in the form attached hereto duly executed by the Holder or its agent or attorney and funds sufficient to pay any transfer taxes payable upon the making of such transfer. Upon such surrender and, if required, such payment, the Company shall execute and deliver a new Warrant or Warrants in the name of the assignee or assignees and in the denomination or denominations specified in such instrument of assignment, and shall issue to the assignor a new Warrant evidencing the portion of this Warrant not so assigned, and this Warrant shall promptly be cancelled. A Warrant, if properly assigned, may be exercised by a new holder for the purchase of Warrant Shares without having a new Warrant issued.

b) New Warrants. This Warrant may be divided or combined with other Warrants upon presentation hereof at the aforesaid office of the Company, together with a written notice specifying the names and denominations in which new Warrants are to be issued, signed by the Holder or its agent or attorney. Subject to compliance with the provisions hereof as to any transfer that may be involved in such division or combination, the Company shall execute and deliver a new Warrant or Warrants in exchange for the Warrant or Warrants to be divided or combined in accordance with such notice.

c) Holder of Record. The Company may deem and treat the Holder of this Warrant as recorded on the books and records of the Company as the absolute owner hereof for the purpose of any exercise hereof or any distribution to the Holder, and for all other purposes, absent actual notice to the contrary.

d) Transfer Restrictions. If, at the time of the surrender of this Warrant in connection with any transfer of this Warrant, the transfer of this Warrant shall not be registered pursuant to an effective registration statement under the Securities Act and under applicable state securities or blue sky laws, the Company may require, as a condition of allowing such transfer (i) that the Holder or transferee of this Warrant, as the case may be, furnish to the Company a written opinion of counsel (which opinion shall be in form, substance and scope customary for opinions of counsel in comparable transactions) to the effect that such transfer may be made without registration under the Securities Act and under applicable state securities or blue sky laws, (ii) that the holder or transferee execute and deliver to the Company an investment letter in form and substance acceptable to the Company and (iii) that the transferee be an “accredited investor” as defined in Rule 501(a) promulgated under the Securities Act or a qualified institutional buyer as defined in Rule 144A(a) under the Securities Act.

Section 5. Miscellaneous.

a) No Rights as Shareholder Until Exercise. This Warrant does not entitle the Holder to any voting rights or other rights as a shareholder of the Company prior to the exercise hereof. Upon the surrender of this Warrant and the payment of the aggregate Exercise Price, the Warrant Shares so purchased shall be and be deemed to be issued to such Holder as the record owner of such shares as of the close of business on the later of the date of such surrender or payment.

b) Loss, Theft, Destruction or Mutilation of Warrant. The Company covenants that upon receipt by the Company of evidence reasonably satisfactory to it of the loss, theft, destruction or mutilation of this Warrant or any stock certificate relating to the Warrant Shares, and in case of loss, theft or destruction, of indemnity or security reasonably satisfactory to it (which, in the case of the Warrant, shall not include the posting of any bond), and upon surrender and cancellation of such Warrant or stock certificate, if mutilated, the Company will make and deliver a new Warrant or stock certificate of like tenor and dated as of such cancellation, in lieu of such Warrant or stock certificate.

c) Authorized Shares. The Company covenants that during the period the Warrant is outstanding, it will reserve from its authorized and unissued Common Stock a sufficient number of shares to provide for the issuance of the Warrant Shares upon the exercise of any purchase rights under this Warrant. The Company further covenants that its issuance of this Warrant shall constitute full authority to its officers who are charged with the duty of executing stock certificates to execute and issue the necessary certificates for the Warrant Shares upon the exercise of the purchase rights under this Warrant. The Company will take all such reasonable action as may be necessary to assure that such Warrant Shares may be issued as provided herein without violation of any applicable law or regulation.

d) Jurisdiction. All questions concerning the construction, validity, enforcement and interpretation of this Warrant shall be determined in accordance with the laws of the state of Idaho.

e) Restrictions. The Holder acknowledges that the Warrant Shares acquired upon the exercise of this Warrant, if not registered, will have restrictions upon resale imposed by state and federal securities laws.

f) Notices. Any notice, demand or request required or permitted to be given by the Company or the Holder pursuant to the terms of this Warrant shall be in writing and shall be deemed delivered (i) when delivered personally or by verifiable facsimile transmission, unless such delivery is made on a day that is not a Business Day, in which case such delivery will be deemed to be made on the next succeeding Business Day and (ii) on the next Business Day after timely delivery to an overnight courier, addressed as follows:

If to the Company:

Sterling Mining Company

P.O. Box 2838

2201 N. Government Way, Suite E

Coeur d’Alene, ID 83814

Attn:    Chief Executive Officer

Tel:       ###-###-####

Fax:       ###-###-####

If to the Holder: To the Holder at the address appearing on the books and records of the Company.

g) Successors and Assigns. Subject to applicable securities laws, this Warrant and the rights and obligations evidenced hereby shall inure to the benefit of and be binding upon the successors of the Company and the successors and permitted assigns of Holder.

h) Amendment. This Warrant may be modified or amended or the provisions hereof waived with the written consent of the Company and the Holder.

i) Severability. Wherever possible, each provision of this Warrant shall be interpreted in such manner as to be effective and valid under applicable law, but if any provision of this Warrant shall be prohibited by or invalid under applicable law, such provision shall be ineffective to the extent of such prohibition or invalidity, without invalidating the remainder of such provisions or the remaining provisions of this Warrant.

j) Headings. The headings used in this Warrant are for the convenience of reference only and shall not, for any purpose, be deemed a part of this Warrant.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the Company has caused this Warrant to be executed by its officer thereunto duly authorized.

Dated:                                 

NOTICE OF EXERCISE

(1) The undersigned hereby elects to purchase                  Warrant Shares of the Company pursuant to the terms of the attached Warrant (only if exercised in full), and tenders herewith payment of the exercise price in full, together with all applicable transfer taxes, if any.

(2) Payment shall take the form of (check applicable box):

(3) Please issue a certificate or certificates representing said Warrant Shares in the name of the undersigned or in such other name as is specified below:

The Warrant Shares shall be delivered to the following:

(4) The undersigned represents and warrants that the undersigned is an “accredited investor” as defined in Regulation D promulgated under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended.

[SIGNATURE OF HOLDER]

ASSIGNMENT FORM

(To assign the foregoing warrant, execute

this form and supply required information.

Do not use this form to exercise the warrant.)

FOR VALUE RECEIVED, the foregoing Warrant and all rights evidenced thereby are hereby assigned to

Dated:                                 

NOTE: The signature to this Assignment Form must correspond with the name as it appears on the face of the Warrant, without alteration or enlargement or any change whatsoever. Officers of corporations and those acting in a fiduciary or other representative capacity should file proper evidence of authority to assign the foregoing Warrant.