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                                   EXHIBIT 3.1

                          CERTIFICATE OF INCORPORATION

                            OF TYCONDA MINERALS CORP.

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                          CERTIFICATE OF INCORPORATION

                                       OF

                             TYCONDA MINERALS CORP.

            First: The name of the corporation is TYCONDA MINERALS CORP.

            Second: The address of its registered office in the State of
Delaware is No. 100 West Tenth Street, in the City of Wilmington, County of New
Castle. The name of its registered agent at such address is The Corporation
Trust Company.

            Third: The nature of the business or purposes to be conducted or
promoted is:

            To engage in any lawful act or activity for which  corporations  may
be organized under the General Corporation Law of Delaware.

            Fourth:  The  total  number of shares  of  capital  stock  which the
corporation shall have authority to issue is five million  (5,000,000) shares of
common stock and the par value of each of such shares is One Cent ($.01).

            Fifth: The name and mailing address of each incorporator is as
follows:

   NAME                                            MAILING ADDRESS
   ----                                            ---------------

B. J. Consono                                      100 West Tenth Street
                                                   Wilmington, Delaware

F. J. Obara, Jr.                                   100 West Tenth Street
                                                   Wilmington, Delaware

J. L. Rivera                                       100 West Tenth Street
                                                   Wilmington, Delaware

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      Sixth:  The name and  mailing  address of each person who is to serve as a
director until the first annual meeting of the stockholders or until a successor
is elected and qualified, is as follows:

     NAME                                          MAILING ADDRESS
     ----                                          ---------------

Martin B. Miller                            Suite 206  50 E. Wynnewood Road
                                            Wynnewood,  Pennsylvania  19096

Alan M. Moskowitz                           Suite 206  50 E. Wynnewood Road
                                            Wynnewood,  Pennsylvania  19096

Samuel Kleiman                              10 Union Avenue
                                            Bala Cynwyd,  Pennsylvania 19004

      Seventh: The Board of Directors shall have the power to make, alter or
repeal the By-Laws of the corporation.

      Eighth:  Whenever a compromise  or  arrangement  is proposed  between this
corporation  and its  creditors  or any  class  of  them,  and/or  between  this
corporation  and its  stockholders  or any class of them, any court of equitable
jurisdiction  within the State of Delaware may, on the  application in a summary
way of this  corporation  or of any creditor or stockholder  thereof,  or on the
application of any receiver or receivers  appointed for this  corporation  under
the  provisions  of  section  291 of  Title  8 of the  Delaware  Code  or on the
application of trustees in dissolution or of any receiver or receivers appointed
for this  corporation  under the  provisions  of  section  279 of Title 8 of the
Delaware Code order a meeting of the creditors or class of creditors, and/or

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of the  stockholders or class of stockholders of this  corporation,  as the case
may be, to be summoned in such manner as the said court  directs.  If a majority
in  number  representing  three-fourths  in value of the  creditors  or class of
creditors,  and/or  of  the  stockholders  or  class  of  stockholders  of  this
corporation,  as the case may be, agree to any compromise or arrangement  and to
any  reorganization  of this  corporation as  consequence of such  compromise or
arrangement,  the said  compromise or  arrangement  and the said  reorganization
shall,  if sanctioned by the court to which the said  application has been made,
be  binding  on all the  creditors  or class  of  creditors,  and/or  on all the
stockholders or class of stockholders,  of this corporation, as the case may be,
and also on this corporation.

      Ninth: Elections of directors need not be by written ballot unless the
by-laws of this corporation shall so provide.

      Tenth:  The  corporation  reserves  the right to amend,  alter,  change or
repeal any provision  contained in this  certificate  of  incorporation,  in the
manner now or hereafter  prescribed by statute,  and all rights  conferred  upon
stockholders herein are granted subject to this reservation.

      WE,  THE  UNDERSIGNED,  being  each of the  incorporators  named,  for the
purpose of forming a corporation  pursuant to the General Corporation Law of the
State of Delaware,  do make this  certificate,  hereby  declaring and certifying
that  this is our act and  deed  and the  facts  herein  stated  are  true,  and
accordingly have hereunto set our hands this 24th day of December, 1969.

                                   /s/ [ILLEGIBLE]
                                   ----------------------------

                                   /s/ [ILLEGIBLE]
                                   ----------------------------

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State of Delaware    )
                     )   ss:
County of New Castle )

      BE IT REMEMBERED that on this 24th day of December A.D. 19__, personally
came before me, a Notary Public for the State of Delaware, B. J. Consono, F. J.
Obara, Jr. and J. L. Rivera, all of the parties to the foregoing certificate of
incorporation, known to me personally to be such, and severally acknowledged the
said certificate to be the act and deed of the signers respectively that the
facts stated therein are true.

      GIVEN under my hand and seal of office the day and year aforesaid.

                                                   /s/ G. Dana Atwill
                                                   -------------------------
                                                   Notary Public

                                                                          [SEAL]