This post is one in a series in which more than 60 newsletter advisors share their Top Stock Picks for 2011. This special report is courtesy of TheStockAdvisors.com.

"Kaminak Gold (KAM) , a gold exploration firm which trades on the Vancouver exchange, is my top pick for the coming year," says junior mining stock specialist Brien Lundin.

The editor of The Gold Newsletter explains, "The 'geological baristas' at Kaminak's Coffee property in the Yukon's White Gold District continue to brew-up a strong blend of results.

"Silver currently shows a powerful 'cup-and-handle' formation; we've seen similar formations for gold over the past couple of years, and each time the metal subsequently rallied to new all-time highs," notes Brien Lundin.

The editor of The Gold Newsletter -- and the host of the annual New Orleans Gold Conference -- explains, "This pattern is a potent indication of a rally ahead.

In short, silver is shining right now, and seems ready to gleam even more brightly, especially in comparison to gold. Meanwhile, one of our favorite silver stocks is Silvercorp Metals (SVM).

"Western speculators are quick to dump gold on dollar strength, while long-term investors and savers continue to quietly accumulate in anticipation of oncoming inflation," says metals and mining specialist Brien Lundin.

In his The Gold Newsletter, he explains, "Over the long tern, the price of of gold will be set not by governments or speculators, but by those who look to gold as a bulwark against the ravages of inflation. Despite the vast tides of money flowing into and out of the "paper gold" markets as hedgers and speculators fight their daily games of tug-of-war, investors and savers across the globe continue to buy gold."

This post is part of a special report, Top Picks for 2010, the 27th annual survey in which TheStockAdvisors.com asks the nation's leading advisors for their single favorite stock for the new year. See all 80 stocks listed here.

"Gold will be the primary beneficiary of the massive bailout and stimulus plans enacted by not only the United States, but every industrialized nation across the globe," forecasts Brien Lundin.

The mining stock specialist and editor of The Gold Newsletter looks to a small gold exploration and development company as his top pick for 2010: Keegan Resources (KGN).

"Silver Standard Resources (NASDAQ: SSRI) has set a new standard for silver resources; simply put, its boasts the largest published in-ground silver resource of any publicly-traded silver company," says mining stock specialist Brien Lundin.

In The Gold Newsetter he adds, "We were fortunate over the years that the great idea behind this company was combined with a great management team, as CEO Bob Quartermain is among the best in the business."

"Silver Standard has 1.127 billion ounces in measured and indicated resources, plus another 195 million ounces in proven and probable reserves, and another 456 million ounces in inferred resources.

"Its resources come from a portfolio of properties spanning the globe from Argentina, Peru, and Mexico, to Canada, Chile, the US and Australia. Now the companyis making the transition to production with aggressive development programs on five core properties.

This article is part of a special 20 article report on "Metals, miners and money".

"It wasn't that long ago -- in late 2003, to be exact -- when we were bumping up against the $400 ceiling in gold; and now we've barreled through $800," says Brien Lundin, editor of The Gold Newsletter, and host and opening speaker at the recent New Orleans Investment Conference.

Although he remains cautious on the near-term outlook -- and indeed, forecasts a correction from current levels -- he suggests, "Perhaps the reasons behind gold's rally don't matter -- and we need only consider the fact that it is rallying."

From a long-term perspective, he suggests, "The very fact that gold is rallying so strongly is telling us something about the geopolitical, economic, and/or investing scene. Does gold know something we don't?"

The gold and resource investing expert suggests, "Perhaps it's telling us that global liquidity is far deeper than we can yet understand. Maybe it's telling us that the worldwide move away from the dollar as a reserve currency is accelerating behind the scenes.

"Perhaps it's indicating that economic growth in Asia will continue, and is capable of thriving without the support of Western consumer demand.... Maybe gold is foreshadowing a geopolitical blow-up.

"Perhaps the metal is whispering that the housing crunch, with peaks in adjustable rate mortgage resets coming at the end of the year, will become worse than anyone yet fears. Or perhaps that there is some still unseen derivative or other economic crisis about to erupt.

What are the best speculations and investments among metals, miners, and other resource plays? To find out, I turned to 20 of the nation's leading newsletter editors, as well as speakers from the recent New Orleans Conference, a leading forum for resource advisors.

Their current top ideas cover a wide diversity of ideas, from gold and silver, from alumina and copper, to platinum and palladium. These picks cover markets from Chile to China and from Canada to Russia. These ideas also range from large cap, well-established, and diversified companies to small cap, development-stage junior speculations.

Readers should only consider these ideas as a starting place for their own research and should keep in mind the caveat that any stock you buy should only be considered within the framework of your own time horizon and risk parameters. Meanwhile, here are 20 different advisors assessing various aspects of the metals, mining, and resources sectors: