- 5 days ago
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00:01Tonight, on the Curse of Oak Island.
00:04It's a brand new area we haven't explored on the western side.
00:07Oh!
00:08Oh!
00:09Yeah!
00:10Look what I'm getting here.
00:11Oh!
00:12So I've done a CT scan.
00:14You can see it faintly right here.
00:16Oh!
00:17We'll all be damned.
00:18Yeah.
00:19That might tell a story.
00:20Whoa!
00:21Whoa!
00:22We're probably into the void.
00:24If there's the one thing, he could have it in that four barrel right now.
00:27Yeah.
00:28There you go.
00:30There is an island in the North Atlantic.
00:35Where people have been looking for an incredible treasure for more than 200 years.
00:41So far, they have found a stone slab with strange symbols carved into it.
00:47Man-made workings that date to medieval times.
00:51And a lead cross whose origin may be connected to the Knights Templar.
00:57To date, six men have died trying to solve the mystery.
01:02And according to legend, one more will have to die before the treasure can be found.
01:10Okay team, this is the part of this whole venture I like honestly the most.
01:25Another bright morning has dawned on Oak Island.
01:30And in the laboratory, Rick and Marty Lagina and members of their team are gathered to learn more about a recent discovery.
01:38Catchy and I found something that we thought was really, really cool.
01:43It's a coin for sure.
01:44And we're about to find out what exactly this is.
01:47Ooh.
01:48Wowzer.
01:49One week ago, Marty and Katya Drayton discovered a coin with a curious design on lot five.
02:00And in the same area where the team previously found five Roman coins that could be as much as 2,000 years old.
02:09So yeah, so I've done an XRF.
02:12So compositionally, it's copper based.
02:15There is iron.
02:17There is calcium.
02:18But you see there's a silver content also.
02:20And that's a good sign.
02:22That usually indicates an older alloy.
02:25That's amazing.
02:28Emma says the composition of the coin has silver.
02:31And so I think it could be very valuable.
02:34Everything about this, once again, makes you feel like, geez, I'm not wasting my time and money here.
02:39This is, this is for real.
02:42I popped it into the CT scan to get a better look at it.
02:46Wow.
02:47That's ancient.
02:49Oh my God.
02:52So you have the figure standing left.
02:56And we do have the lettering.
02:59Office in A.
03:00Which is N for Novum.
03:03So ninth.
03:04So it's the ninth workshop.
03:05Can't tell which region.
03:07Because the mint mark is gone.
03:09But that would be like in the Roman vicinity.
03:12And if we take a look at the other side.
03:15So you have the head bust facing right.
03:17And you can see it faintly right here.
03:19Looks like a crown.
03:21And a really distinctive pointed, like I don't know, really sharp nose, sharp chin.
03:26And these features, you only see them with Claudius II.
03:30So you have the workshops.
03:35You have the composition.
03:37And then you have Claudius II.
03:40And that puts it more towards like 250, 270 A.D.
03:45So this is a Roman coin.
03:48Yes.
03:49Roman baby.
03:52Without a doubt.
03:54Without a doubt.
03:56Marcus Aurelius Claudius, also known as Claudius II, reigned as the emperor of Rome from 268 to 270 A.D.
04:07The team has never found evidence of habitation on Oak Island dating back to that era.
04:14So how did the six Roman coins get here?
04:17We'll all be damned.
04:19Yeah.
04:20We have very few certainties on this island.
04:22Well, there's one.
04:23That is a Roman coin.
04:25I mean, we used to say it with a little bit of hesitation.
04:28Like, you know, we're having a hard time believing it ourselves, but we can't discard it anymore.
04:32It does have a high surrounding silicon layer.
04:36Does that imply it's been there a long time?
04:39Yeah.
04:40How about that?
04:41What were the other metals that, uh, Dr. Spooner was finding in the water in the money pit?
04:46Lead, tin, copper, and zinc.
04:48So those are all elements that were found in this coin.
04:51The silver Piblado coin is 1367 to 1383 and has similar elements too.
05:00The fact that the composition of the so-called Portuguese Piblado coin and the Roman coins match the traces of precious metals that were detected deep in the money pit area raises an important question.
05:14Could they all be related?
05:16I have always believed that what happened here on Oak Island happened long ago.
05:21And so it's not out of the bounds to suggest that this might be part of the treasure, right?
05:29Yeah.
05:30Mm-hmm.
05:31The interesting thing now is when was it deposited?
05:34Yeah, exactly.
05:35That is what would be interesting to know.
05:37I think Sandy Campbell can certainly tell us something about that coin.
05:42We should have him look into this further.
05:44Well, as you often tell me, Matt, that's a great find, but you guys need to go back out to Lot 5 and find some more.
05:51Exactly.
05:52Let's do it.
05:53Let's go.
05:54All right.
05:55See you later.
05:56Take care.
05:57Good job.
05:58Later that morning, as the team prepares their next drill location in the money pit area.
06:05So, as we know, it's a very aggressive search agenda this year.
06:10We have a lot of things going on.
06:12I know you've done your homework.
06:14You have the permits.
06:15Rick meets with Steve Guptill, Scott Barlow, and Billy Gerhardt in the Oak Island Research Center to plan another major investigation.
06:24A large scale dig in the triangle shaped swamp.
06:29The swamp has been incredibly generous to us in terms of finding things.
06:33Think about the timelines that have been associated with the swamp.
06:371200s, 1300s, 1400s.
06:42We've always thought that the bog held secrets, and those secrets might have something to do with the money pit, right?
06:48Yeah.
06:50During the past decade, Rick, Marty, and the team have uncovered numerous stone structures in the swamp.
06:58These include a massive paved area near the center of the bog, which has been scientifically dated to the 13th century.
07:07A stone road in the southeast corner, which may be more than 500 years old and is believed to be of Portuguese origin.
07:17And a cobblestone pathway in the northern region, which led the team to an empty vault-like feature that has been dated to as early as the 17th century.
07:27We found some incredibly unique things in the swamp, things we haven't been able to explain as of yet.
07:33But it suggests numerous groups may have deposited things here on the island.
07:39Once you understand the totality of the work in the bog, then you can apply maybe a possible connection to the money pit.
07:48And who was behind this mystery?
07:50So, Steve, where are your areas of interest?
07:53So I have an area I'd like to start us at.
07:55It's just west of the paved area. You can see it here.
07:58It's a brand new area we haven't explored on the western side.
08:01That end of the swamp is kind of like the area around the vault, right?
08:04You know, we traveled across it a hundred times, didn't know the vault was there.
08:07So, you know, I think that the same types of finds can exist in that corner.
08:11Hopefully there's another one and hopefully it's not empty.
08:14Yep.
08:15We drained the swamp and I think all that really remains is, you know, get the excavators in place and start digging.
08:22Yep.
08:24It's good to work.
08:27Later that day...
08:28All right, guys. Western side of the swamp. Brand new area for us.
08:34Rick meets with members of the team to begin their new investigation in the western region of the swamp.
08:41We're only 180 feet off the paved area. That's just straight east of us.
08:44Yeah, and I love those dates from the paved area. It's 1200s and we've seen a certain coin this year, a Portuguese coin from the 1300s.
08:57We might be in for a bit of pork and cheese.
09:00Every year the swamp surprises us. The bar every year it keeps raising, right?
09:05Yeah.
09:07Let's get diggy with it, Billy.
09:09I'm really excited to be back in the swamp. It's been good to us in the past. We've found a lot of really nice artifacts in the area.
09:19And hopefully we are going to find some artifacts today.
09:29Oh, it's clean at the moment.
09:38Whoa.
09:40Wow, look at that.
09:48What have we got here?
09:53Steak. Did you see that, Billy? You just moved the steak.
09:56Yep.
09:58While digging near the western edge of the Oak Island swamp, Rick Lagina and members of the team have just discovered an interesting clue.
10:05Is that one of the sharpened old wooden stake posts, Rick?
10:10Yeah, it looks like it.
10:12What do you think?
10:14It does look like one of those older style ones, the way it's cut like that.
10:20That ain't sore.
10:23No, that's an axe cut.
10:25Yep.
10:26A hand cut wooden stake?
10:29Curiously, the team discovered a number of similar stakes one year ago in the center of the swamp, lining the cobble path.
10:37These stakes were carbon dated to as early as the 17th century and led them to the vault-like feature.
10:44So that would be your first connection that this potentially at one point in time was a path.
10:51So that could be a really old wood stake.
10:54Is it possible that the team has uncovered evidence of another pathway?
10:59If so, just what might it lead to?
11:02What have we got here?
11:05Whoo!
11:07Look at that!
11:09That's definitely a stake there.
11:11Yeah.
11:12There's one right there.
11:14Yeah, so...
11:15Oh, yeah.
11:16Good eye, Rick.
11:18Oh, that's a little mini work about, ain't it?
11:21Like the ones we've seen in the north side of the swamp.
11:24Mm-hmm.
11:25And the dating on those came back from 1630s all the way to mid-1700s.
11:28The question is, what do all these stakes mean?
11:31Mm-hmm.
11:32This stake is strikingly similar to the stakes that we found in the north end.
11:38The stakes might be referencing some work that is yet undiscovered in the bog.
11:43It is incredibly exciting.
11:45It's odd to have so many stakes in one area, right?
11:49Yep.
11:50We need to date these to really understand their importance here in a very tight area.
11:55Yeah.
11:56But you still need to find artifacts.
11:59Oh, yeah.
12:00The metals will tell the story in this place.
12:02Yeah.
12:03You know, I'm open for coins.
12:06Cross our fingers.
12:07As Rick and the team proceed with their excavation in the swamp,
12:12several hundred yards to the west on Lot 5.
12:15This almost feels like this is that top layer of soil because it's soft.
12:19But I notice it's more gravely when you get over there, but that could be from that little pile.
12:22It's from the pile, I think.
12:24Archaeologist Fiona Steele and other members of the team continue their investigation of a mysterious rounded feature near the shoreline.
12:33Okay, your turn for the coolest find ever.
12:36Okay.
12:37Ever.
12:38In recent years, the team has uncovered evidence suggesting that several different groups conducted secret activities here at different times, while possibly hiding valuables on the island.
12:51These include a number of buttons and Venetian trade beads that may be connected to the Knights of Malta, a religious military order that descended from the Knights Templar.
13:04Lot 5 is an example of the extraordinary complexity of this island and what happened here.
13:10The multi-generational theory fits with a lot of the dates we found.
13:16I want to keep going because I want to figure this out.
13:27Oh, my God.
13:28Look at this.
13:29Might be a pipe stem.
13:31Hey, pipe stem!
13:34Oh, that's great.
13:36That's got a really small borehole, like really small.
13:41You can actually get an idea of the date range from the size of the boreholes.
13:45So if you get a smaller borehole, it's more likely a more recent pipe stem.
13:50But if you get a really big borehole, it can age it quite a bit.
13:54I always have stuff with me that we can use for this.
13:57This is what we use to check the boreholes with.
14:01All right, so this one is a 4 64ths, which is what I'm expecting.
14:05Let's see.
14:06And look at that.
14:07That fits perfectly.
14:10So that's saying that this pipe stem was made sometime between 1753 and 1800,
14:15which actually fits in exactly with what the mean date range of all the artifacts that we're finding here.
14:21Nice.
14:22I think that's pretty cool.
14:23The artifacts we have in general from Lot 5, these artifacts still predate 1795.
14:30So they predate the discovery of the money pit.
14:33To me, that's what makes our work on Lot 5 so significant.
14:38Wow, I'm glad we found that. That's great.
14:45Tansy, look what I'm getting here.
14:48Check this out.
14:49Pottery.
14:50Oh, wow.
14:51It's a big boy.
14:52So we're going to take it out in two pieces.
14:56There's one.
14:57It's so shiny.
14:58Isn't that great?
14:59Suit magic.
15:00Oh!
15:01That's gorgeous.
15:02That's really pretty.
15:03Wow.
15:04Can you hold that one?
15:05Let's get the other piece out.
15:06Yeah.
15:07There we go.
15:08So pretty.
15:09Wow.
15:10Those will go together.
15:11Look how big that bowl would have been.
15:13It had to have been a big utilitarian type of bowl.
15:16It was probably used for food purposes, preparation of some sort, whether it was breads or preserved fruits.
15:22I find with these coarse earthenwares, it could be anywhere from 1600 to 1800, but this little design on it will help date it.
15:29Good job.
15:30Fragments of an ornate earthenware bowl that may have been used to contain food? There are no records that any settlers ever lived on Lot 5.
15:43So if Fiona is correct, that this pottery may date back to the last year.
15:48It's probably used for food purposes.
15:50It's probably used for food purposes, preparation of some sort, whether it was breads or preserved fruits.
15:55Lot 5.
15:56So if Fiona is correct that this pottery may date back to the 17th century, it's a potential clue that could help identify who was here.
16:06The things that we've been finding on Lot 5 have been giving us more of an indication of multi-occupational use of the lot itself.
16:14That's pretty blatant and evident.
16:16So it's getting more and more curious as we're going.
16:20Every piece adds to the puzzle and tells us more and more.
16:23Yeah.
16:24That's great.
16:25Beautiful find.
16:26The next day.
16:31The find is quite remarkable.
16:35Laird, I would think you would have to agree.
16:38Finding that is incredibly impressive.
16:41Oh, absolutely.
16:42Rick and members of the team meet once again in the lab regarding another find made two weeks ago on Lot 5.
16:50Tansy, we thank you for that.
16:53It's stunningly beautiful.
16:54It is.
16:55An ornate glass bead that Tansy Rudnicki uncovered in the rounded feature.
17:01Laird, Emma, tell us what this is and what it may mean.
17:05So I do have an XRF results.
17:09So the composition, we have a whole bunch of elements in it.
17:14The color is due to the copper content that you see right here.
17:19So that's what makes it a lovely, lovely blue.
17:22But here's the compositional averages in the comparison with other artifacts found on Oak Island.
17:28Our bead is the one in blue.
17:31The composition of the glass itself, the closest match that it lines up with are the Venetian beads that we've collected over the years.
17:41It would be interesting to know if any of these are associated with the activity that was going on with the lights of Malta.
17:54It would be interesting to know if any of these are associated with the activity that was going on with the lights of Malta.
17:59So you'd just be curious to see if maybe they brought some beads with them.
18:02They would have 100% brought beads with them to trade with the indigenous people in that area.
18:08In the Oak Island lab, Emma Culligan and Laird have just informed the team that it's possible that the glass Venetian bead found on Lot 5 could be connected to the Knights of Malta.
18:21So it's what we call a seed bead for obvious reasons.
18:25It's the size of a large seed.
18:28They were introduced in the second half of the 1600s.
18:32It would be interesting to know if any of these have ever been found at Fort Point because, as we all know,
18:37Isaac de Rosalie came over and made his capital on the Le Havre River.
18:43In 1632, a French naval captain and prominent member of the Knights of Malta named Isaac de Rosalie
18:52helped establish the French colony of Acadia, which is now known today as Nova Scotia.
18:59Curiously, de Rosalie established his headquarters at Fort Point on the Le Havre River, just 15 miles south of Oak Island.
19:09If Venetian beads have been discovered at Fort Point, could that offer more evidence of a connection between the Knights of Malta and the Oak Island mystery?
19:20We can check with the archaeologists at Fort Point, see what they may have for beads that were recovered from their archaeology.
19:27That'd be great.
19:28Yeah.
19:29Strange as it sounds, that little simple bead might tell a story.
19:33Mm-hmm.
19:34So, thank you, Emma.
19:36Thank you, Laird.
19:37Having said that, we'd better get all back to it.
19:39Mm-hmm.
19:42See you later.
19:43See ya.
19:44Later that day, as the investigations in both the swamp and on Lot 5 continue.
19:51It's 8.5, 8.5, guys.
19:56All right.
19:57We're still about 12 feet above what we conventionally think of the top of the solution channel.
20:05Over at the Money Pit area, the core drilling operation reaches a depth of nearly 140 feet in a new borehole known as J.5, 8.5.
20:17Here, the team hopes to penetrate the natural cavity known as the solution channel and recover evidence of treasure.
20:26Previous holes have shown us how convoluted it is.
20:29We've run into actual ledges within it and soft plot below 190.
20:34Hopefully, this one will get into an even looser area and some kind of a chest.
20:38Yep.
20:39One full of silver coins.
20:41This looks all about.
20:42We live in hope.
20:44Did a treasure fall down to the depths of the solution channel?
20:47We don't know.
20:48You don't want to be driven by possibilities.
20:50You want to be driven by facts.
20:52And the fact is, right now, we are nowhere near done exploring the extremities of this void.
21:00And we need to continue to be very disciplined in our approach.
21:04But we mustn't relent.
21:05We mustn't give up.
21:06We're not there yet.
21:08I want the one thing.
21:15Whoa!
21:16Whoa!
21:17That was interesting.
21:18What happened?
21:19He just lost his rods.
21:21That means we're probably into the void.
21:24I'll ask him how far they seem to have dropped.
21:28Adam.
21:29Hey.
21:30How far did they drop?
21:31About eight feet.
21:32Okay.
21:33And that's into a loose area?
21:34I'm assuming.
21:35Yeah.
21:36That's what we're looking for.
21:37Okay.
21:38Go get her.
21:39Oh, we'll see you here.
21:40Yeah.
21:41Thanks.
21:42It's weird.
21:43Hey, Terry.
21:44What did he say?
21:45So that was interesting.
21:46Okay.
21:47So we're into a loose area, 148 to 158 or so.
21:50The rods just dropped right out.
21:52Now we go deeper to see what they find.
21:55I mean, I've got my fingers crossed here, gentlemen.
21:58We are in a really interesting point.
22:00Let's hope.
22:01This is exactly what we're looking for.
22:04We're dropping down into an open space in the solution channel below 150 feet.
22:07If we trace this to the bottom, we could find a lot of amazing things before bedrock.
22:14Whoa!
22:15That is an extraordinary washed out void of material.
22:20168.
22:22Wow.
22:2368.
22:24Whoa.
22:25The rods were 15 feet down.
22:2815 feet?
22:2915 feet.
22:30So is that a solution channel, you think?
22:32Huh.
22:33Exactly so.
22:34That's kind of a void in open space.
22:36You could lose a whole lot of treasure.
22:38So out of the 20 feet, that's all you got.
22:40Wow.
22:41Wow.
22:42Yeah.
22:43So that bodes well, gentlemen.
22:44I think this is getting very interesting.
22:47It's not over yet.
22:48I'm going to run the pinpointer over this.
22:50So when we pull a 20-foot run, and we only have a few feet of material in it, that says
22:56we've passed into a relative void where only a small amount of the solid material has been
23:00encountered.
23:01And if we hit that kind of a situation, we know we're into the void in the solution channel.
23:05Clear.
23:06Clear.
23:07That tells us we could encounter an artifact anywhere between there and the bedrock.
23:14Jerry!
23:19Adam, how are we doing?
23:21I'm at 188.
23:23Wow.
23:24And I haven't hit anything hard.
23:27All we got is loose void.
23:28That's it.
23:29Thanks.
23:31What do you got?
23:33So he has dropped another 20 feet.
23:36He went from 168 to 188, and he's still got nothing solid.
23:40So he's going to push forward from 188 to 198 to see if he can hit something solid.
23:46Yeah.
23:47Given what we know, it's 30-foot void, give or take.
23:50That's exciting.
23:51I think objective number one is to find the bottom of the solution channel.
23:54Absolutely.
23:55We're excited because what is below us right here has not been searched by anyone ever,
24:03and we're going to be the first people to look at that.
24:06Hopefully, we'll find something at the bottom because treasure is very dense,
24:11and it will drop through the material in the solution channel and settle at the bottom.
24:17We have a core, gentlemen.
24:20The sample that we have in that core barrel is very important.
24:23We've just passed down through a huge amount of loose area.
24:25If there's a debris field, if there's a broken up treasure chest, if there's the one thing,
24:30he could have it in that core barrel right now.
24:33Let's hope.
24:34152.
24:35168 to 198 right in front of us, gentlemen.
24:40We're looking for aspects of the debris field that have fallen treasure, yes?
24:44Exactly.
24:45Here he is.
24:46Hey, Rick.
24:47How are you doing?
24:48Hello.
24:49Very loose area here, Rick.
24:52168 to 198 and J.5 to 8.5.
24:54Okay.
24:55Let's see you.
24:56All right.
24:57In the Money Pit area, Rick has joined the team to inspect fresh drilling cores recovered from the solution channel.
25:05This material is relatively watery, void-like material.
25:10And from 198, we should go to about 218 or 215 before we hit bedrock, Rick.
25:16So it should be another swath of interesting material at the bottom of the solution channel.
25:27Unfortunately, no hits with the pinpointer.
25:33Well, let's see what the next one looks like.
25:35I think this next run is the most important.
25:37That would be the hope.
25:39This hole in particular, it's soft enough for something very heavy to have migrated downward to the point where it would fall to the lowest possible point, i.e. the bottom of the solution channel.
25:52We just have to find it.
25:57It's getting ridiculous.
26:01Like, I'm 228 right now.
26:04That's so weird, man.
26:06Adam, how are we doing?
26:08228.
26:10228?
26:10228.
26:12Wow.
26:12That's one for the record books.
26:14And loose all the way down?
26:15Yeah.
26:16Nothing.
26:16Well, it's loose, but I can feel it.
26:19Do you think you're going to be able to retrieve that?
26:20It's going in the rods right now.
26:22Okay, thank you.
26:22Yep.
26:23Well, you don't see that every day.
26:29228, no bedrock.
26:30What?
26:31What are they going through?
26:32Just water?
26:33Well, it's loose material as well.
26:34It looks like he's going to be able to get a sample, so it looks like we're going to have 30 feet more of core coming up.
26:39I agree.
26:41It's highly unusual in the fact that you're not in bedrock at 228.
26:45It's incredibly interesting.
26:46Yeah.
26:48Previously drilled boreholes that have reached the bottom of the solution channel have suggested that the mysterious natural cavity has a maximum depth of some 220 feet.
26:59However, has the team now discovered evidence that it could be deeper in some areas, presenting a whole new challenge to finding the believed treasure?
27:12The solution channel is wide, it's expansive, it's deep.
27:17I think it's a little bit larger and certainly deeper than we had thought.
27:21Generally, the bottom is 218, 214.
27:26Well, we're 14 feet past that.
27:28I think what it tells us is we have a lot more work to do to truly understand the solution channel.
27:35It certainly presents some unique challenges.
27:38Will there be issues that arise that we haven't anticipated?
27:41Sure, there will be problems, but we're not going to give up.
27:45It's that simple.
27:47Jump in it and I'll guide you in.
27:51If there were something of some significance, it would easily fall through what we just had on the table.
27:57Exactly.
27:58Yes.
27:59Here we go.
28:00Let's hope it's a good one.
28:02You can be very hopeful.
28:03Look, Peter thinks it's hopeful.
28:06I'm on board.
28:07I'm cautiously optimistic.
28:09There you go.
28:09That was the worst.
28:10There you go.
28:10The drill bar has basically fallen almost 100 feet with no hindrance.
28:17Your immediate thought is, well, here absolutely is the collapse zone.
28:23What other explanation is there?
28:25And if there's a collapse zone, then we may be close to something.
28:29So 198 all the way down to 228 and no bedrock yet, but a lot of loose material.
28:37So you've got a lot of work to do here with your pinpointer, I think, Charles.
28:40Hell yeah.
28:41Okay, so for 30 feet of drilling, we got about 12 feet of loose material.
28:49Clear.
28:50Unfortunately, in this section, we didn't hit it.
28:53Let's see where he hits bottom and we'll see what he brings back up.
28:56If he's pounding, that's bedrock.
29:03Here's a nice white powder.
29:05That's bedrock.
29:09Let's see what we got up above the bedrock.
29:14Here we go.
29:18What do we got?
29:21228, 233.
29:23The rock was at 229.
29:26So, yeah, it looks like you've got about a foot of loose material.
29:31It's a good four feet of bedrock.
29:34Yeah, it's clear.
29:37J.5, 8.5.
29:39Seems to have come to an end here at 233 below grade.
29:42We hit bedrock at 229 below grade.
29:45It gave us information.
29:46Exactly.
29:48What do you think about this, Adam?
29:49It's been the most interesting one to me to date.
29:52Bottom line is, I'm an Eisenboots guy.
29:54When the driller of record says, this is something different, you can put your nickel on that.
30:00It's different.
30:01Absolutely.
30:01Based on what we're seeing, the theory that the treasure would fall deep down in the solution channel still is alive and well.
30:10One of the reasons for doing this on a drill program was, okay, where's an area where we might put a case on down?
30:17Incremental information is incredibly important to help us determine that.
30:22Yeah.
30:22We need to make a decision of where we go next.
30:25Yeah.
30:25Yeah.
30:26Absolutely.
30:27As the team plots their next borehole location in the money pit area.
30:33Sandy, thank you for coming down once again.
30:36Appreciate it, Rick.
30:37Rick and Doug meet with coin expert Sandy Campbell in the research center to get his analysis of the Roman coin that was recently found on lot 5.
30:47You know, as soon as I pick the coin up, it's quite obvious what it is.
30:53This is clearly Roman Empire period.
30:56It's in remarkable condition for a coin that's been buried for quite a while.
31:02I think we'll need a CT to get a more definitive portrait.
31:08Laird and Emma have actually provided us with a couple of images from the CT scanner.
31:13Let's have a look.
31:15Yeah, the CT's pretty clear.
31:17You know, the reverse is quite spectacular.
31:22Very definitive legend.
31:24You know, somebody's standing holding an oak leaf.
31:29The obverse here is probably Claudius, which makes it 3rd century AD.
31:38That's what Laird and Emma said?
31:40Yeah.
31:41No question in your mind.
31:42It's a Roman coin.
31:43No, no question.
31:44It's a pretty obvious design and period of Roman Empire.
31:51But of all the Roman, this is, you know, perhaps the most remarkable piece that's been found to date.
31:57What do you make of Roman coins being found on this island, though?
32:01Like, how many Roman coins have been found elsewhere in Nova Scotia?
32:05I would say nothing that I'm aware of.
32:08I'm puzzled how so many Roman coins could land on this island.
32:14The question that would be in my mind is, who brought it?
32:18Right.
32:19You know, Roman coins traded as currency into the 1500s quite regularly.
32:25They were monetarily used.
32:27And that's what possibly brought them to this island, in my opinion.
32:31Who brought them is a different story.
32:32Here's a scenario that starts to paint itself in my mind, though.
32:36The people that were carrying out the work to create the money pit may have been carrying this as currency in their pockets.
32:43I think that is a distinct possibility.
32:47Incredible.
32:48If you have people on the island building habitations for the works, perhaps in the money pit, and they're losing their personal possessions along the way,
33:02these coins might have been actually the pocket change of the workers working to deposit a treasure in the money pit.
33:08So this, to me, may not be the actual treasure they were depositing, but it's evidence.
33:13Yes.
33:13Yeah.
33:14It could be.
33:14In the Oak Island Research Center, Sandy Campbell has just validated the possibility that the Roman coins found on Lot 5 may have been dropped by those who buried a treasure in the money pit.
33:29I wouldn't discount it.
33:32You know, 13, 1400s, this stuff was in use all through Europe.
33:35If you walked into any merchant anywhere in the world, you know, whether it's the new world or the old world, that had monetary value.
33:46It's mind-numbing that this stuff continues to get unearthed.
33:52Mm-hmm.
33:53One of the interesting things about Roman coins is they've often been found in places we've investigated the activities of the Templars, right?
34:02Mm-hmm.
34:02Another twist.
34:05Here we have the coins.
34:07The Roman coins have been found in Iceland.
34:10During their numerous trips to European sites, where the Templar order was believed to have operated between the 12th and 14th centuries,
34:19the team has been shown Roman coins from the same eras that they have found on Oak Island.
34:25This is 4th century.
34:274th century.
34:27Yeah.
34:28We were told ours were from 5th century A.D.
34:32If those coins were in active use right up through the 1200s, then they could be associated with activity of the Templars.
34:40This, sitting here on this table, might be representative of that cultural context, perhaps with Nolan's cross and then the so-called Piplato coin.
34:52Right.
34:52Is it possible that the ancient Roman coins could actually represent another Templar connection to the Oak Island mystery?
35:01And could they be related to other possible Templar structures such as Nolan's cross, as well as reported discoveries like the silver Portuguese coin?
35:12The wealth associated with a possible treasure in the money pit might have been gathered from all over the world.
35:19And Templars, as we have learned, assimilated power, influence wealth, and specifically knowledge.
35:28So, it may be that this coin is Roman, but you have to take the clues and the data as presented to you, but you have to analyze that data with a very open mind, because it could all be connected.
35:44We need to rededicate ourselves to continue to look intensively at Lot 5 and the adjacent lots, and the money pit for irrefutable proof.
35:55Right.
35:56So, Sandy, thank you for coming down. Really appreciate it, as always.
36:01I appreciate the invite, and again, it's always interesting to see something new and different. It just deepens the mystery, in my opinion.
36:11It does do that.
36:12Yeah.
36:14It's incredibly interesting. Roman coins were found on Oak Island.
36:17It's just more bizarre.
36:21Later that day...
36:24It's a good place to start, Charles.
36:26Yep.
36:27Back on the trail of artifacts, mate, on Lot 4. I love it.
36:32Charles joins Gary on Lot 4, encouraged by the new discoveries of the glass bead and the Roman coin.
36:40You ready to get stuck in, mate?
36:42Let's do it.
36:42OK. We'll start here.
36:44You find them, I'll dig them.
36:46Rick has instructed them to search an area on nearby Lot 4, where excavated spoils from the round feature on Lot 5 have been deposited.
36:55It's a bit of a jumpy signal, Charles. It's more than likely going to be a piece of elongated iron.
37:03You never know.
37:08Let's get stuck back in. You've digled some dirt around.
37:11I think it's out.
37:12I think it's out.
37:13Yeah, I believe so.
37:14Yeah, just a little nail, look.
37:15Yeah.
37:16Burn it.
37:17Burn it.
37:18Keep going.
37:19Yep.
37:20Ooh, we've got a nice banging signal here, Charles.
37:24Oh, I like the sound of that, Charles.
37:25Nice one.
37:26Yeah, a real good one.
37:27This could be a coin or a button.
37:28Let's hope.
37:29This has got potential, mate.
37:30Just there, please.
37:31Right there?
37:32OK.
37:33That's a lot of roots.
37:34Yep.
37:35X marks the spot.
37:36Oh, we've got a nice banging signal here, Charles.
37:41Oh, I like the sound of that, Charles.
37:44Nice one?
37:45Yeah, a real good one.
37:46This could be a coin or a button.
37:48Well, let's hope.
37:49This has got potential, mate.
37:51Just there, please.
37:52Right there?
37:53OK.
37:58That's a lot of roots.
37:59Yep.
38:00X marks the spot.
38:03Yep.
38:05Take a look-see.
38:07All right.
38:08Let's see what we've got.
38:10PHONE RINGS
38:12I can't see ya.
38:15PHONE RINGS
38:18It's in me hand, mate.
38:19And I can feel it.
38:21This is the fun part, mate.
38:24Let's see what we've got.
38:26Ooh.
38:27Ooh.
38:28Ooh.
38:29Oh.
38:30PHONE RINGS
38:31What have we found, Charles?
38:32Look at that, mate.
38:33Some kind of lead strip.
38:34That's interesting.
38:35While searching for clues on lot four, Charles and Gary have just made a curious discovery.
38:41Look at the beveled edges.
38:42I see that.
38:43You know what this reminds me of?
38:44What's that?
38:45What's that?
38:46It reminds me of an arm of a lead cross.
38:48Really?
38:49It looks like there's an hole at the top.
38:50Yeah.
38:51If you are making the cross, a lead, and you want to tack it onto something, it would need
38:52holes.
38:53Right.
38:54So we could be in Templar country.
38:59Yeah.
39:16A lead artifact with similar features to the fourteenth-century lead cross that was
39:24found at Smith's Cove in 2017? Members of the Oak Island team have seen this exact cross design
39:32at 12th and 14th century Templar-related sites in Dome, France, in Camerano, Italy,
39:41and near Reykjavik, Iceland. And perhaps even more incredible is the fact that in 2022,
39:49while investigating the mysterious round feature just a few yards away on Lot 5,
39:56Gary and Jack Begley unearthed a lead barter token that was scientifically matched to the lead cross.
40:04You see that? This looks really old. Yeah.
40:09Is it possible that Gary and Charles have found another key clue that could help prove a Templar connection to the Oak Island mystery?
40:17Let's put this in the bag where it belongs.
40:21Even a little piece of lead like this could tell a really big story.
40:27It's one of those metals you can have tested and you never know.
40:31Imagine if this piece of lead is a match to a certain medieval artifact we recovered in Smith's Cove.
40:40Medieval lead cross, baby!
40:42I'm sure there's more artifacts waiting for us, but we need to get to the lab.
40:47I can't wait to see what this is.
40:49Let's go, man.
40:50All right, mate. Good digging.
40:52Excellent.
40:53Absolutely brilliant.
40:58Generations of treasure hunters have believed that something of immense value lies buried in the money pit.
41:04Now, Rick, Marty, and their team may have not only touched a piece of those fabled riches,
41:13but have found incredible new clues that could help identify just who was behind this mystery.
41:20So despite the murky questions that remain in the solution channel,
41:25this team will keep searching for the truth, no matter how deep they have to dig.
41:32Next time, on The Curse of Oak Island.
41:38Hold it! Whoa, whoa, whoa!
41:39Another feature in the swamp.
41:41What in the world is happening?
41:42This feature could help us unwrap the whole mystery.
41:45Something this small has fallen to the bottom of the solution channel.
41:49Here it is right there.
41:50Could be a chunk of a coin.
41:51It's got some sort of design on it.
41:53If it's a silver coin, that's treasure.
41:55It's what we're looking for.
41:56Yeah.
41:56Be prepared to be gubstruck.
41:59This is going to be special.
42:00This is quite pure?
42:01Yes, absolutely.
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