Brothers Marty and Rick Lagina and their team of treasure hunters have been digging around a Nova Scotian island for over eight years on the popular History Channel show “The Curse of Oak Island.” During this nine season run, the Lagina Brothers have been on a constant search for hidden treasure, perhaps buried on the island by Spanish pirates, the British military, or even the Knights Templar.
While the Lagina brothers and metal detection expert Gary Drayton have mostly found mud, wood, and various metal tools, they — along with an assortment of science and archaeological experts — have made a surprising amount of valuable discoveries hidden throughout the 140 acres of the supposedly cursed Oak Island.
But what exactly are these interesting finds, and what historical secrets could they reveal? Perhaps the truth lies within, as we uncover all the treasure ever found on “The Curse of Oak Island.”
Maravedí copper coin
In “The Curse of Oak Island” Season 1 finale “The Find,” while searching through a swamp, metal detection expert Steve Zazulyk ran across a coin with the number “8” engraved on it. It was later identified as a Spanish eight Maravedis copper coin, most likely from the 17th century.
In the Season 2 premiere “Once In, Forever In,” the coin was cleaned and examined, revealing that the year 1652 was engraved on the back. Further analysis of the coin also revealed that it had, in fact been lost, in the swamp for hundreds of years, and not something planted recently. All the signs pointed to this being a legitimate historical discovery, the first of many throughout the show.
Could this simple copper coin be evidence of hidden pirate wealth? It certainly seemed like the Lagina brothers were on the right track to uncover the legendary buried treasure of Oak Island.
17th century military button and a coin
In “Return to the Money Pit,” the second episode of the second season of “The Curse of Oak Island,” treasure hunter Gary Drayton discovered not two distinct treasures while metal detecting.
His first discovery was made near Oak Island’s shoreline. Drayton and his team found a 17th century button from a military officer’s outfit, though which military it might belong to is unknown. However, it could be evidence that this military was responsible for some of the buried secrets around the island.
In a nearby wooded location, Drayton and his team made their second discovery of the day. Buried in the ground was a small coin, what they assumed to be another 17th century Maravedi like the one found in the previous season’s finale. However, this coin appeared to be of a much smaller size; perhaps two Maravedis rather than eight. Though smaller, these incredible finds could still lead to a much larger treasure hidden somewhere on Oak Island.
Two 17th century Britannia coins
In “The Eight-Pointed Star,” the third episode of the second season of “The Curse of Oak Island,” treasure hunter Gary Drayton made another double discovery while metal detecting along the shoreline of Oak Island.
This time around, Drayton and his team along with the Oak Island team leader Rick Lagina found two 17th century King Charles II Britannia coins, buried beneath the rocks and pyrite scattered across the shore. One of the coins found had the year 1771 clearly printed on its surface, seemingly confirming the centuries old age of the currency.
Where did these 17th century coins come from? Could they have been dropped by hurried individuals on their way to find buried treasure? Or, perhaps more hopefully, could they have been dropped by a wealthy group out on Oak Island to bury treasure of their own? Certainly, the Oak Island team would have to investigate further.
The Knights Templar coin
In “The 90-Foot Stone,” the fifth episode of the second season of “The Curse of Oak Island,” the small coin that Gary Drayton and his team had discovered three episodes earlier in “Return to the Money Pit” was inspected. It turned out to not be a Maravedi coin at all, but instead something far more interesting.
After cleaning the coin, treasure hunter and professional diver Tony Sampson saw what appeared to be a cross design on one side. This distinctive cross could be the symbol of the Knights Templar who, in the 13th century, had instituted one of the first international banking systems. Could this be a coin used by the Knights Templar for banking purposes?
What at first appeared to be the discovery of a small Spanish Maravedi coin, could instead be a significant lead towards a vast Knights Templar fortune buried somewhere on Oak Island.
A copper ring and a coin
In “Circles in Wood,” the sixth episode of the fourth season of “The Curse of Oak Island,” Gary Drayton — along with associate producers and fellow treasure hunters Jack Begley and Alex Lagina — do some metal detecting on property once owned by former slave-turned-cabbage farmer Samuel Ball.
After initially finding a length of chain buried in the ground, Drayton and company expanded their search outward, eventually finding a small copper and bronze ring. Certain that they were on the right path, they continued their efforts and uncovered a coin that could be hundreds of years old.
Samuel Ball owned 36 acres of Oak Island and was said to be one of its wealthiest residents. Did the source of this wealth come from cabbage farming? Or had Ball discovered treasure? Maybe these findings are just a small piece of the treasure Ball found on Oak Island.
18th century coins and a name tag
In Season 4, Episode 8 — “The Mystery of Samuel Ball” — metal detection expert Gary Drayton and Oak Island historian Charles Barkhouse continue to dig around on Samuel Ball’s property and unearth a multitude of interesting finds.
Drayton and Barkhouse initially find a dandy button, generally found on clothing from the 1700s. They soon find a lead ingot used for making musket balls, as well as several King George II coins also from the 1700s. After uncovering what might be a metal tag from the bottom of a pistol with a name etched on it (that some online researchers believe might have been Samuel Ball’s own), Drayton theorizes that all of these artifacts could be the remnants of a military encampment.
Were these 18th century campers on the search for buried treasure or leaving behind treasure of their own? The only thing known for certain is that there was definitely a lot of activity going on in the 1700s on Oak Island.
British military button and a treasure chest hinge
In “Blood is Thicker,” Season 4, Episode 15 of “The Curse of Oak Island,” Gary Drayton runs his metal detector over the unearthed contents of Rick and Marty Lagina’s GAL-1 dig site. He is excited to discover the show’s first appearance of buried gold.
While initially thinking it to be a coin, they quickly realize it has the word “plated” engraved on it. After having it examined by antiques appraiser Dr. Lori Vanderame, it seems most likely that this circular object was actually a gold-plated button from a 17th or 18th century British military uniform.
This seems even more likely when the Lagina Brothers retrieve a large metal hinge with drill holes in it from the same location. After examining it, Dr. Vanderame says it came from the same time period. What’s more exciting is that it was frequently used for the hinges of treasure chests. While it may instead have come from a ship repurposing the hinge for another use, it is still an incredibly exciting find for the questions it raises about what lies beneath Oak Island.
A cut maravedi coin
In “Dead Man’s Chest,” the second episode of the fifth season of “The Curse of Oak Island,” Gary Drayton and his metal detection team once again uncover clues to 17th century involvement on the island — possibly from the military, pirates, or both.
After initially digging up a musket ball used in 17th century guns, they soon find what appears to be a maravedi, similar to what was found in the Season 1 finale “The Find.” The difference here is that this coin has been cut into a smaller segment.
Back in the 17th century, coins like the maravedi used to be cut to provide change, leading to the phrase “Pieces of eight” popularized by the Robert Louis Stevenson pirate novel classic “Treasure Island.” Yet another puzzle piece in favor of pirates frequenting the shores of Oak Island. Could their be more piratical discoveries to be made?
17th century English coins
The Lagina Brothers and Gary Drayton continue their search for buried treasure by exploring the Dunfield Spoils in “The Curse of Oak Island” Season 5, Episode 3 “Obstruction.”
In 1965, Robert Dunfield attempted to find the legendary Oak Island treasure and dug a 100 foot wide by 140 foot deep hole in order to find it. However, no treasure was ever found and eventually the large hole caved in on itself. But the excavated earth was left behind and became known as the Dunfield Spoils.
Armed with a metal detector, the Oak Island team explored these leftover spoils and soon found a pair of English coins with King Charles II’s face on one side and the years “1673” and “1694” inscribed on the other. The discovery of these pair of coins indicate that either the English military or pirates were on Oak Island in the 1700s.