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00:00:01Tonight, on The Curse of Oak Island...
00:00:03Here we go.
00:00:04The strategy is to figure out where that treasure went way deep.
00:00:09A special two-hour premiere.
00:00:11Oh, looks like we broke through the ledge into the solution channel.
00:00:14Oh yeah, that's it for sure.
00:00:15If we're gonna hit, this is the one that should pay.
00:00:18Woo-hoo!
00:00:18What's that?
00:00:19It could be a gold or a silver coin.
00:00:21In the original money pit.
00:00:22Found this item on the drill bit.
00:00:23In 1849.
00:00:25I believe this is your one thing, Rick.
00:00:26This may be what lies below.
00:00:29That's a game changer.
00:00:30Fiona just found this.
00:00:32No way.
00:00:32Early stuff.
00:00:33We're changing Nova Scotian history, really.
00:00:35Hit something hard, so I'm gonna pull it up.
00:00:37Please do.
00:00:38Could we hit a vault?
00:00:39We're hoping to find a coin, something.
00:00:41What is that?
00:00:41That's a chunk of metal.
00:00:42It's very thick.
00:00:43No, we may be onto something.
00:00:44See how shiny that is?
00:00:45Oh my God.
00:00:46I can confirm that it is silver, likely from 1367 to 1383.
00:00:50Does that look like a Templar cross?
00:00:52Yeah, it does.
00:00:53Yeah.
00:00:53It's real.
00:00:57There is an island in the North Atlantic where people have been looking for an incredible
00:01:03treasure for more than 200 years.
00:01:06So far, they have found a stone slab with strange symbols carved into it.
00:01:13Man-made workings that date to medieval times.
00:01:17And a lead cross whose origin may be connected to the Knights Templar.
00:01:23To date, six men have died trying to solve the mystery.
00:01:28And, according to legend, one more will have to die before the treasure can be found.
00:01:48So, here we are again, on our way to Oak Island.
00:01:51How are y'all feeling?
00:01:54Well, it's exciting because I'm basically satisfied that something happened on Oak Island
00:01:59that's outside of recorded history.
00:02:02Yup.
00:02:02We're finding more things that say that the legend is true.
00:02:06Absolutely.
00:02:07For brothers Rick and Marty Lagina, their partner Craig Tester, and the members of their
00:02:12team, a new chapter in the world's longest-running treasure hunt is about to begin on Oak Island.
00:02:19For me, I just want it solved.
00:02:23And I do believe there'll be success this year.
00:02:27Yeah.
00:02:28Beginning in 1795, when three young men first discovered an ingeniously designed shaft
00:02:35that reached more than 90 feet deep, known as the Money Pit.
00:02:41Generations of treasure hunters have tried and failed to uncover a legendary fortune.
00:02:49And now, after spending more than a decade finding clues that suggest a vast treasure is indeed
00:02:56hiding deep below ground, Rick, Marty, Craig, and their team are determined to write the definitive
00:03:03chapter of the Oak Island mystery.
00:03:06And away we go.
00:03:10We begin a new year with this mission statement.
00:03:14Let's solve it.
00:03:15Let's find the answers.
00:03:17We're here.
00:03:18Our hopes are as high as they've ever been.
00:03:21And I'm really and truthfully pretty excited about it.
00:03:24Hey, everybody.
00:03:26Hey.
00:03:27We're back.
00:03:28Hey, chaps.
00:03:31When you walk into the museum, everyone is smiling.
00:03:34There's a certain energy in the room.
00:03:36There's a sense of commitment.
00:03:38Hey, partner.
00:03:39Yeah.
00:03:40And I draw inspiration from them.
00:03:43Welcome, everybody.
00:03:45Back to the quest, right?
00:03:47Yep.
00:03:47So let's start with this.
00:03:49If you try and make sense out of everything other people have done and what we've done
00:03:54the last 12 years, what makes sense is that the treasure has gone even deeper than the
00:03:59money pit and is now in the solution channel.
00:04:02That's right.
00:04:04In 1804, a large stone bearing strange carved symbols was discovered in the center
00:04:10of an oak platform exactly 90 feet deep in the money pit.
00:04:15Upon its removal, the shaft flooded with seawater that was fed from a reported cobblestone tunnel
00:04:22that originated 500 feet away at Smith's Cove.
00:04:27Over the next two centuries, numerous companies of treasure hunters dug more than a dozen adjacent
00:04:34shafts and tunnels, all in the hopes of bypassing the believed booby trap and recovering
00:04:40whatever had been so skillfully buried at the bottom of the money pit.
00:04:46Each one fell victim to flooding and cave-ins.
00:04:50This resulted in the ground across the money pit area becoming unstable and prone to collapse.
00:04:58One year ago, Rick, Marty, Craig and the team believed that their efforts to solve the mystery would
00:05:06finally pay off.
00:05:08After groundwater testing pinpointed a large source of precious metals more than 100 feet underground.
00:05:15They began digging a series of seven-foot diameter steel shafts.
00:05:20What is that?
00:05:22But while recovering numerous artifacts, including digging tools that predated 1795.
00:05:29We found this concrete.
00:05:30And also obtaining possible evidence of a treasure vault nearly 160 feet deep.
00:05:38Stop!
00:05:40It's caving.
00:05:41It's caving all the way back.
00:05:44The earth beneath two of the shafts, known as TB1 and TOT1, suddenly collapsed.
00:05:52This has led the team to suspect that the treasure has now fallen to more than 200 feet deep and
00:05:58now lies in a natural feature in the bedrock known as a solution channel.
00:06:03A geological term for a large cavity that forms over time due to limestone dissolving in groundwater.
00:06:12I am just really, really enthusiastic that it resides deeper.
00:06:16And with that, Scott, you've been doing a ton of work on that.
00:06:19Why don't you tell us the thoughts on that?
00:06:21So, as you know, we want to look in the solution channel to try to find the treasure.
00:06:25Yeah.
00:06:26So, Steve and I sat with Rick and we've came up with a drill program this year.
00:06:30So, Steve, you want to bring up the map there and we'll talk about the holes that we want to
00:06:33do?
00:06:33Okay.
00:06:35So, now we're looking at a map of the solution channel.
00:06:38The green is the solution channel.
00:06:40Yes.
00:06:41So, my understanding of the solution channel is between anywhere between 150 and 220 feet
00:06:46is a moving mud river with different depths.
00:06:50Yes.
00:06:51So, it's not a mud river, it's a gold river down there.
00:06:56Now, the total area in the solution channel is less than 5% that we've actually explored.
00:07:01So, Scott and I and Rick sat and discussed this.
00:07:04And this is what that map looks like.
00:07:08So, we're going to start the boreholes this year in around top one.
00:07:12Okay.
00:07:13Well, if these are the holes, Rick, you want to drill the green things?
00:07:16Yep.
00:07:16What I want to do is systematic drilling.
00:07:19We're going to drive the casing down around 210 feet because we want to explore the solution channel at depth.
00:07:27So, if we found something with the drilling program, we would then turn over to this gleeful planning of a
00:07:36recovery effort.
00:07:37That would be fabulous.
00:07:38Okay.
00:07:39So, that wraps up the first part of this discussion about the money pit.
00:07:42Now, I think that is the focus of treasure.
00:07:46But Fiona and Laird would say, wait a minute, there's a lot more to this story as far as what
00:07:52actually happened on this island.
00:07:54So, Laird, I'll kick it over to you and why don't you pick up and summarize all that.
00:07:59Yeah, we're really excited about getting back to lot 5 given all of the artifacts we found.
00:08:04And we're starting to see that story on lot 5 expand within itself.
00:08:09Yep.
00:08:09The soils from the round feature and feature 2, the rectangular feature, that matched the soils from the area of
00:08:18the money pit at depth.
00:08:20And to me, that's huge.
00:08:23Absolutely.
00:08:25After acquiring lot 5 from the estate of Robert Young in 2022, the Oak Island team discovered a rounded stone
00:08:34foundation near the shoreline
00:08:36and another rectangular feature several yards to the south.
00:08:41Both had been deliberately buried and have produced astonishing clues that suggest they were related to the money pit
00:08:49and were used by multiple groups as base camps between the 14th and the 18th centuries.
00:08:56These finds include a mortar-like substance matching soil samples unearthed from more than 100 feet deep in the money
00:09:05pit area.
00:09:06A lead barter token, which just like the 14th century lead cross that was recovered at Smith's Cove in 2017,
00:09:15may be connected to the medieval order of the Knights Templar.
00:09:21Several Venetian trade beads as well as two garment buttons that have been matched to the kinds worn by members
00:09:28of the Knights of Malta.
00:09:30A group who descended from the Templar order and who are known to have inhabited parts of Nova Scotia as
00:09:37early as the 1630s.
00:09:40We haven't been able to find another feature in Nova Scotia that matches what's happening on lot 5.
00:09:47Yeah.
00:09:48So this year we're hoping to expand our excavations around the round feature
00:09:54that will give us even more insights into the who, what, where and why on lot 5.
00:10:00Right.
00:10:02Look, everybody knows that I think the research is an important facet of our work.
00:10:08So we have been actively engaged in following the clues we have come to learn of to date.
00:10:14That includes possible Templar connections, certainly the Knights of Malta connection.
00:10:20Yep.
00:10:21Ever since the Laginas and Craig Tester began their quest to solve the Oak Island mystery in 2006.
00:10:30They have been investigating the incredible theory that the order of the Knights Templar
00:10:35and related groups began transporting priceless religious treasures from Europe to Oak Island as much as 800 years ago.
00:10:45Oh, wow.
00:10:47And during the past several years, they have visited numerous former Templar strongholds in countries such as France, Scotland,
00:10:57Portugal, Italy, and Malta, where they have seen amazing evidence that it could be true.
00:11:05There's something there that you might recognize.
00:11:09Four dot cross.
00:11:10Evidence such as symbols meant to represent religious artifacts that have also been found over the years on Oak Island.
00:11:19It's just absolutely incredible.
00:11:22Tunnels that match the reported design of those found deep underground in the Money Pit area.
00:11:29The stone path looks exactly like this.
00:11:31And even a stone road in Portugal that is nearly identical to one they themselves unearthed in the Oak Island
00:11:38swamp back in 2020.
00:11:42So, the research continues to evolve and I think there's a real chance that it will be highly enlightening.
00:11:50I love it.
00:11:52I'm very enthused because I think there is potentially an answer this year as to why we haven't found this
00:11:59treasure, at least in the Money Pit.
00:12:01I want to get to the bottom of that. So, we got a lot to do. We got the team
00:12:05to do it.
00:12:06Yeah.
00:12:06Yep. So, I'm eager to get started. Jack's eager to get started. He's got some stuff at home he's finishing
00:12:12up on.
00:12:12I see a lot of eager faces.
00:12:14Yeah.
00:12:15For me, it's always about you guys. About the people. We can throw science at this. We can throw technology
00:12:22at this.
00:12:23But look at each other and realize that within each of us, that's where the real importance lies.
00:12:29Let's figure out who, what, when, where, why and how. Let's really commit ourselves to doing that.
00:12:34Well said.
00:12:35Yep.
00:12:36I do know one thing. The answers aren't in this room. Let's get going.
00:12:41You're here. All right. Let's do it.
00:12:43Let's make it so.
00:12:49Hola. I see we're drilling.
00:12:53Following the team's meeting in the Interpretive Center, Rick Lagina and Craig Tester join other members of the team in
00:13:01the Money Pit area.
00:13:02As their first core drilling operation of the summer has begun in borehole J6.
00:13:09A borehole located just five feet south of the seven-foot diameter TOT-1 shaft, which was dug one year
00:13:17ago.
00:13:18It was at that location where the team recovered a pickaxe more than 160 feet deep that was dated to
00:13:27as early as the 16th century.
00:13:28And it was also where a massive cabin occurred at nearly 180 feet that caused tons of earth and possible
00:13:38valuables to fall into the solution channel more than 200 feet underground.
00:13:45We're down only about eight feet. Just the very first run. It's the beginning. But I mean, I think this
00:13:50is a really good bet that we're going to find some treasure in this solution channel.
00:13:53All you got to do is find one thing. One thing.
00:13:57The strategy this year for the Money Pit is to figure out where that treasure went way deep. Where did
00:14:05it fall into the so-called solution channel?
00:14:07And what is also different from the other years is we are absolutely going deep with every one of them.
00:14:13200 feet. Maybe even more.
00:14:15If everything works out, we got a good chance of finding something here.
00:14:18We're about to find artifacts and be searching at a level well below where any seeker has gone.
00:14:24All the more reason to keep a really close eye on these cores because the slightest thing might be the
00:14:29most important thing.
00:14:33Time's going to tell as we get a little deeper.
00:14:35As the core drilling operation continues in the Money Pit area.
00:14:40Later that afternoon.
00:14:43Hey.
00:14:44Hey. How are you?
00:14:46All right.
00:14:47Rick Lagina, his nephew Peter Fernetti, and metal detection expert Katya Drayden arrive on Lot 5.
00:14:56Where archaeologist Laird Niven and Alex Lagina are investigating the mysterious rounded feature near the shoreline.
00:15:05We thought we'd come over and see if we can help.
00:15:09Yeah. The artifacts we found there are all concentrated on the west side between the rectangular feature and the round
00:15:16feature.
00:15:17So, I'd be really interested in having you go carefully over the east side.
00:15:22I'm excited to see what we can find here. Thank you, Laird.
00:15:25You're welcome.
00:15:26Appreciate it.
00:15:27There's always the hope that you will find some piece of the puzzle that will tell you the whole story
00:15:33of what happened as to when this occupation occurred, who was here and what were they doing.
00:15:43I would say that's one.
00:15:47I would say right in there.
00:16:05Let's try it with the pin pointer now that we're deeper.
00:16:09Come out, come out.
00:16:13There it is.
00:16:14I found it.
00:16:20Make sure that's the last of it.
00:16:22Yeah.
00:16:27Heavy.
00:16:29What do you think? Heavy?
00:16:33It's got some weight to it.
00:16:34Yeah.
00:16:34It's not light.
00:16:36Some sort of fastener?
00:16:37Not modern.
00:16:38No.
00:16:39No.
00:16:39It's interesting to be that far away, right?
00:16:41Yeah.
00:16:42Because they're looking for clues as to what else might be here.
00:16:46Lot five is certainly interesting.
00:16:49This fastener.
00:16:51Is it possible that it's evidence of a structure or structures?
00:16:56Sure.
00:16:58The story of lot five continues to expand.
00:17:01I don't know that we're even close to having an answer yet.
00:17:05A possible iron fastener?
00:17:08Because the team has made similar discoveries in both of the nearby foundations, could Rick's notion that this may be
00:17:16evidence of another potential structure be correct?
00:17:20So that's a bag and tag for sure. And that's a CT scan object. Emma will tell us what that
00:17:26is. No question about it.
00:17:28Sounds great.
00:17:28Good finding?
00:17:29Good digging.
00:17:32We can go see if there's anything else in there.
00:17:35As the investigation on lot five continues.
00:17:39Here we go.
00:17:40Down into the solution channel.
00:17:42And while the core drilling operation proceeds deeper in the Money Pit area.
00:17:48Over on the eastern end of the island at Smith's Cove.
00:17:52Let's go find something, guys.
00:17:54Billy.
00:17:55Billy's here.
00:17:56Marty Lagina, Craig Tester, and metal detection expert Gary Drayton join Billy Gerhardt to further investigate the massive collection of
00:18:06spoils from last year's excavations in the Money Pit area.
00:18:11Hey, Billy, this whole pile came out of the caissons.
00:18:15What we know is, though, it came from deep in the Money Pit area.
00:18:18Yeah.
00:18:18And we found that old iron.
00:18:20I mean, that old iron went back to the 1600s.
00:18:23Yeah.
00:18:23What is that?
00:18:25This looks like it's part of a tool.
00:18:28After finding the potentially 16th century pickaxe during the excavation of TOT1 at the end of last year's search.
00:18:36That could be a really old tool, mate.
00:18:38Yeah.
00:18:38The team began scouring through the Money Pit spoils that were deposited here at Smith's Cove.
00:18:44And incredibly, they found an iron chisel that was dated to the same approximate era.
00:18:52Whenever there's a lot of iron, there's a possibility of iron masking.
00:18:55There could be a gold or a silver coin waiting for us, mate.
00:18:58All right, well, let's get going.
00:19:00Yeah.
00:19:02Now, the team is continuing to search the remaining spoils in the hopes of recovering more artifacts or evidence of
00:19:10treasure.
00:19:11There.
00:19:12This might be something.
00:19:20I can see it.
00:19:22Just tap, pull it out.
00:19:23Try and get over there.
00:19:24Yeah, you can see it sticking out the hole.
00:19:27Where is it?
00:19:27Right there?
00:19:28Yep.
00:19:29There it is.
00:19:37What you got, Marty?
00:19:39What is it?
00:19:41What's that?
00:19:42Woo-hoo!
00:19:44Well, that's interesting.
00:19:49What you got, Marty?
00:19:51A pin.
00:19:53I don't know if it's old or a...
00:19:55Yeah, Craigor.
00:19:56That looks old.
00:19:57Yeah.
00:19:58That's Smith's Cove.
00:19:59While searching spoils excavated for more than 180 feet deep in the Money Pit area last year, Marty Lagina and
00:20:08other members of the team have just uncovered another potentially important clue.
00:20:14Yeah, that's wrought iron, I think.
00:20:17Yeah.
00:20:18It's old.
00:20:19I don't know.
00:20:20I wonder if it's a possible cribbing spike.
00:20:23No, I think it is.
00:20:24Unlike when you're building cribbing, like cribbing for a shaft or something.
00:20:28Yeah.
00:20:29A possible cribbing spike?
00:20:32Potentially used to connect large beams of wood together?
00:20:36Because no previous searchers were known to have built shafts that deep underground, could the team have found more evidence
00:20:44of the original Money Pit?
00:20:46If so, what else is still waiting to be discovered in these spoils?
00:20:52So this should be good.
00:20:54Yeah, I'll probably need this digging out.
00:20:56It might be on edge.
00:20:58We're all on edge.
00:21:00Right?
00:21:02Where is it?
00:21:03Right there.
00:21:06See that area there?
00:21:08Try pinpointing.
00:21:12It's there.
00:21:13That was a little bit off.
00:21:14Oh, here we go.
00:21:15That's more like it.
00:21:17Hm.
00:21:17That is a tool of some kind.
00:21:20Look at that.
00:21:22Yeah.
00:21:23Wow.
00:21:24That is unusual.
00:21:27That's got the look of being old as well.
00:21:30Yeah, it is.
00:21:31No question.
00:21:32It's not new.
00:21:33Definitely had some heft to it.
00:21:35I thought it was like a chisel when I first picked it up.
00:21:38It could be.
00:21:39Yeah, chiseling through the tunnels.
00:21:41Yeah.
00:21:42I'm not surprised at all at what came out of that spoils pile that could be very significant.
00:21:47Once again, possible proof that somebody other than searchers were way deep in the money pit.
00:21:53Still, we have to keep going through the spoils carefully because anything here could be something that could be very
00:21:58significant.
00:22:00And we picked up where we left off last year.
00:22:03We were finding great old tools, artifacts in these spoils.
00:22:07And we have just pulled up another one, which could potentially go back to 1600s or older.
00:22:13Yeah.
00:22:14Okay.
00:22:14I'll bag it.
00:22:15Nice one, Billy.
00:22:16Another good artifact.
00:22:18Good.
00:22:19Finally a decent pipe.
00:22:22Not bad.
00:22:22Yeah.
00:22:23Not bad.
00:22:23Not bad at all.
00:22:25Good digging, guys.
00:22:27Yeah.
00:22:28I mean, the gold's still in there, right?
00:22:30Oh, yeah.
00:22:31It is.
00:22:32That's the hope.
00:22:37The following day, while the drilling operation continues in the money pit area.
00:22:45There are moments around this table that have been really quite impactful in terms of our understanding of this mystery.
00:22:52And today is one of those days.
00:22:54In the war room, Doug Kroll has arranged for the Laginas and members of the team to meet with a
00:23:01man he has been corresponding with for several months, named Steve Solomon.
00:23:06Oh, I'm really excited to say we have a really special guest with us today, Steve Solomon.
00:23:11Steve is prepared to present what Doug believes could be a major breakthrough in the 230-year-old treasure mystery.
00:23:21Well, Steve's got something to reveal to us today about the gentleman by the name of James Piblado and a
00:23:27really prominent Oak Island family, the Archibald family.
00:23:30Well, Steve is a member of that Archibald family.
00:23:34Interesting.
00:23:35Charles, you and I have talked about the so-called Piblado incident forever.
00:23:40Right.
00:23:40So tell everyone what the Piblado incident is about.
00:23:45Well, James Piblado was a foreman with the Truro Company, and they were here from about 1849 to 1851.
00:23:53And there was an incident that happened in the original money pit.
00:23:59In the summer of 1849, members of the Truro Company conducted the first major excavation of the money pit since
00:24:08it had flooded after the removal of the 90-foot stone back in 1804.
00:24:14After constructing a platform nearly 30 feet deep in the shaft, which was still flooded below, company foreman James Piblado
00:24:23oversaw a drilling operation to find out what might be buried below the 90-foot level.
00:24:31Incredibly, at 98 feet, a hard wooden surface was penetrated before the auger bit passed through what was described as
00:24:39nearly two feet of loose metal pieces, another hard wooden surface, and then another two feet of loose metal.
00:24:48The workers excitedly suspected the two stacked treasure chests were buried some 100 feet deep in the money pit.
00:24:57Upon extracting the auger bit, James Piblado was seen removing a reported shiny object from its tip.
00:25:05But when confronted, he would not reveal what it was to anyone on the island.
00:25:12So Piblado approached a gentleman by the name of Charles Archibald, and they attempted to buy the eastern end of
00:25:20the island.
00:25:20So whatever was found on that auger enticed him to leave his job and attempt to purchase the eastern end
00:25:29of the island.
00:25:29So it had to be something really significant.
00:25:32Wow.
00:25:33Charles Dixon Archibald was a businessman from Londonderry, Nova Scotia, who served as the manager of a mining company named
00:25:42Acadian Ironworks.
00:25:44Curiously, members of his family had helped to finance an earlier search for treasure on Oak Island in 1804.
00:25:52After meeting with James Piblado, the two approached landowner John Smith, one of the three young men who originally discovered
00:26:00the money pit in 1795,
00:26:03and offered him a considerable sum to acquire the eastern end of Oak Island.
00:26:09The proposal was refused, and no one has ever confirmed what was found by James Piblado.
00:26:18After that incident, they went to the town of Lunenburg and put in an application.
00:26:22And this is an excerpt out of that application to dig on Oak Island.
00:26:27Having been represented to me that certain persons have discovered the situation of certain hidden treasure beneath the surface of
00:26:34the earth on Oak Island.
00:26:36And then it goes on with the legal stuff for the town person to sign it, and it's on this
00:26:40particular day, Charles Archibald.
00:26:42This was from 1849.
00:26:44Interesting.
00:26:46So I want to talk a little bit more about the family.
00:26:48But first, I would like to show you what contributed to this application.
00:26:52And I believe this is your one thing, Rick.
00:26:55I know you've been looking for this for years.
00:26:56Wow.
00:26:57I am on the edge of my seat.
00:27:01Hold it up so Marty can see it.
00:27:11This is a coin.
00:27:13This is a silver Portuguese coin.
00:27:15That's what came out of the hole?
00:27:17Yes.
00:27:18This was a coin that was passed on from the Archibald family.
00:27:22My mother-in-law was given this by great nana, Edith Archibald.
00:27:26And it was given to me from my own research.
00:27:28I believe it's from about 1367.
00:27:33I mean, that's incredible, right?
00:27:35Like in every sense of the word.
00:27:37Yes.
00:27:38In the war room, Steve Solomon, a man with historic family ties to the Oak Island treasure hunt, has just
00:27:46presented Rick, Marty and the team with a potentially 14th century silver Portuguese coin.
00:27:52A coin that he believes was retrieved from some 100 feet deep in the money pit back in 1849.
00:28:01How big is that?
00:28:02What's the diameter say?
00:28:04A little bigger than a quarter.
00:28:06I mean, I was just wondering how such a thing would be carried out by the auger, but that easily
00:28:09could be.
00:28:11Yeah.
00:28:12Over the winter, Marty, we researched what a pod auger looked like.
00:28:16And its dimensions are more than enough to allow a coin to settle into the mouth of the bed.
00:28:22The coin is spectacular.
00:28:24It's quite beautiful, artfully made, hand struck.
00:28:29Well, that certainly raises an eyebrow, doesn't it?
00:28:32It's a very smallish coin.
00:28:34It's the kind of thing that would get stuck in a drill bed.
00:28:39We want to confirm what type of coin it is, of course, but the condition of that coin is quite
00:28:44remarkable for something that's been around since the late 1300s.
00:28:48Yeah.
00:28:50Thinking about the treasure being deposited way back, it's also, if it was in circulation, it would be all worn
00:28:54off, right?
00:28:55It just looks to be in really good shape.
00:28:58Yeah.
00:28:58The fact that it is in such good condition might represent that it came up out of, say, one of
00:29:03the sealed cases where it's been sealed for many years and has not been subject to any of the water,
00:29:09dirt, elements.
00:29:11I mean, what caught my imagination was that this coin was Portuguese, right?
00:29:15And what theories have we been looking at that might involve the Portuguese?
00:29:20We're, of course, we're looking at the Templars finding sanctuary in Portugal.
00:29:25Knights of Christ.
00:29:26And involving into the Knights of Christ, yeah.
00:29:28Of course.
00:29:30The Catholic military order known as the Knights Templar were formed in the early 12th century to fight for Christian
00:29:38interests in the Holy Land during the Crusades.
00:29:42They amassed great wealth by establishing an elaborate banking system, but were also rumored to have discovered priceless religious artifacts,
00:29:52including the Holy Grail and the Ark of the Covenant.
00:29:55In 1307, they were disbanded and persecuted by King Philip IV of France and Pope Clement V on charges of
00:30:05heresy.
00:30:06Many were arrested and executed, but much of their treasures were never found.
00:30:12The order rebranded themselves where they could find refuge in countries such as Portugal, where they were known as the
00:30:20Knights of Christ.
00:30:21In 2021, when Rick Lagina and other members of the team visited former Templar-related strongholds across Portugal.
00:30:30The circle and the dot in the center of the cross.
00:30:33That's one of our symbols on Lee Joe's stone.
00:30:35They were stunned to see numerous stone carvings matching symbols that had been found on Oak Island.
00:30:42Is it possible that after nearly two decades into their quest for answers, the team is finally looking at a
00:30:51genuine piece of the treasure that people have been seeking for 230 years?
00:30:57So, I think what happened was Pip Blado found this item on the drill bit, and he goes to Charles
00:31:04Dixon Archibald, who had the Acadian Mining Company at the time, and he says,
00:31:09Listen, there's treasure on that island, and here's the proof.
00:31:14And then we know by the paperwork that Steve has that it is Charles Dixon Archibald that was approached by
00:31:22Pip Blado.
00:31:23Pip Blado went to him and he showed him something so convincing that he took these steps to try and
00:31:29take over the treasure hunt on the island.
00:31:31Yep.
00:31:32And the only thing that got in their way was they were given the right to hunt for treasure on
00:31:37Oak Island on unoccupied lands.
00:31:39Well, we know the Truro Company maintained their license on the Money Pit.
00:31:43So, while they gained right to hunt on the island, they didn't gain right to hunt in the Money Pit.
00:31:48This is a really thrilling and exciting thing that's happened on Oak Island.
00:31:53And the story all makes sense. It really does.
00:31:56It's difficult to make up a story like the Pip Blado story itself.
00:32:02This coin is singularly unique in terms of its importance for one simple reason.
00:32:07There is a narrative associated with the coin.
00:32:10We have an artifact and we have a possible association with that famed incident, the Pip Blado incident.
00:32:19That's quite convincing.
00:32:21To give him obviously more credibility.
00:32:23The way this coin ended up in my possession is the direct line from the Archibald family.
00:32:29So, when Steve approached us, we wanted to see if the framework was truly there for this coin to have
00:32:35been passed down from Pip Blado to Steve's branch of the family.
00:32:39What you see in this chart, Charles Dixon maybe was left with that coin because he had to go to
00:32:47the government and secure a treasure trove license and all of that.
00:32:53Charles Dixon Archibald was related to Thomas Archibald.
00:32:56And when Charles Dixon Archibald kind of left the province pretty much for good in the 1850s and then he
00:33:03died in 1868, if he had left that coin behind with the members of the family that were still here
00:33:08in the province, then it's very plausible that it came down through Steve's family.
00:33:14And the Pip Blado family, members of that family were actually married into the Archibalds over time.
00:33:19They were, yeah.
00:33:20This is quite something.
00:33:23This coin has been with the family for three years.
00:33:27I think it came up in 1849.
00:33:29I do.
00:33:34And it's bent too.
00:33:36Yeah, it is slightly bent.
00:33:38My question is, can the heat that's generated by that auger, could this have been picked up and by a
00:33:43slight amount of heat potentially have curled?
00:33:46Having drilled a lot of stuff, anything powerful enough to drill through oak and a cask is powerful enough to
00:33:54bend the coin.
00:33:55Yeah.
00:33:55Yeah.
00:33:56It adds credence to the story.
00:33:58Yeah.
00:33:59I think this all makes sense and it has a high likelihood of being the object that was found.
00:34:05If anybody's head isn't reeling like mine as to what theory this fits.
00:34:11Yeah.
00:34:12I mean, come on.
00:34:13Yup.
00:34:14If it's true about the loose metal, there could be a coin in there from 1307, right after the Knights
00:34:21Templar disband.
00:34:22Or even earlier, the Crusade times, right?
00:34:24Yeah.
00:34:24Because there's nothing that precludes them from adding to their treasure cache over time.
00:34:29Correct.
00:34:29We know the work, the carbon dates here on the island, we call it a multi-generational attempt, but there
00:34:36might have been a series of operations needed to set this in motion.
00:34:42Mm-hmm.
00:34:43This could be part of a generational event.
00:34:45Correct.
00:34:46Yeah.
00:34:47Our modern minds think we can traverse half the globe in an afternoon.
00:34:51Back then, if there was a plan initiated to save or protect something, they understood that it was a transatlantic
00:35:01voyage, months just in the sailing, months again if not years in the final completion of the task.
00:35:10My biggest problem with it is I wish I had seen it come out of the drill bit.
00:35:14Of course.
00:35:15My favorite thing about it is that everything, if we just assume that all of it is true, then that
00:35:19really focuses our dig.
00:35:21We believe the area we're investigating this year.
00:35:24Mm-hmm.
00:35:25Could we bring it to the lab and have Emma do some metallurgy, look at it, and render an opinion?
00:35:31Of course.
00:35:32Is that coin 51% likely or better that that's the coin that Pit Blado has found?
00:35:39I, on a jury, would vote yes.
00:35:41I think the data is compelling.
00:35:44Let's go aggressively look for this treasure down deep, because that's where it must have gone.
00:35:49I agree.
00:35:51Yep.
00:35:52If this coin were 100% known to be what came out of the money pit, it's the strongest thing
00:35:57we've ever found.
00:35:58And I think we're looking at, with a high degree of probability, the coin that was found that day so
00:36:05many years ago.
00:36:06To me, it's proof that something is at the bottom of the money pit.
00:36:12There's nothing like that moment.
00:36:15You see it.
00:36:17You hold it in your hand.
00:36:19You know how close you are to the one thing.
00:36:22It's a real reason to be hopeful.
00:36:26This, even though there's some blanks that have to be filled in, this very possibly is what lies at the
00:36:35depth of the money pit.
00:36:36And how many years have we spent talking about what lies below?
00:36:42This may be what lies below.
00:36:44Yeah.
00:36:46We can't say thank you enough.
00:36:48Big time.
00:36:49Yes.
00:36:49Very much so.
00:36:51Appreciate it.
00:36:51Yeah.
00:36:53Let's move forward.
00:36:57We hit the bedrock plateau in J6.
00:37:00We're down to 178 right now.
00:37:02We're still in bedrock.
00:37:04We haven't popped out into the open solution channel.
00:37:06Let's hope we're going to pop out shortly.
00:37:08Yeah.
00:37:09Yeah.
00:37:11Yeah.
00:37:11After the incredible revelation of the 14th century Portuguese coin, in the money pit area, operations manager Scott Barlow, Charles
00:37:21Barkhouse, geologist Terry Matheson, and surveyor Steve Copptill eagerly monitor the progress of borehole J6.
00:37:29So we've hit the ledge.
00:37:31We're going to hopefully get down through the ledge.
00:37:34We're going to get back down into the solution channel and look for that treasure.
00:37:38Hopefully we find something down below.
00:37:39Because as we saw with DOT 1, we found material made by man, deeper, absolutely.
00:37:45Because the drill has passed through the ground soil and is currently cutting through rock, it is Terry's belief that
00:37:54they're drilling through an outcropping, or ledge, of bedrock, and that the solution channel will hopefully be encountered several feet
00:38:02deeper below.
00:38:04We came into this year not so much looking today to collect anymore, but treasure hunting.
00:38:09Absolutely.
00:38:11Yeah.
00:38:11You know, Steve Solomon brought a Portuguese coin to the island, right?
00:38:16Yeah.
00:38:16I'm excited about that coin.
00:38:17I mean, if we find a coin deep in the solution channel, predating searchers, that's huge, right?
00:38:23Yeah.
00:38:24Absolutely.
00:38:25If there's something down there, this is where we're going to find it.
00:38:27Yeah.
00:38:27We've got to cross our fingers.
00:38:33Oh.
00:38:34Did we break through?
00:38:35I don't know.
00:38:40Looks like we broke through the ledge into the solution channel.
00:38:43The rods just started going down pretty quick there.
00:38:45Oh, yeah.
00:38:45That's it for sure.
00:38:47That's it.
00:38:49As the drill comes down and encounters the bedrock ledge, it really pushed through there.
00:38:53It fell down deeper, so we know the solution channel has got some hidden cavities in it on our ledges.
00:38:59We're waiting for that next core to come up, hopefully containing some treasure.
00:39:03So the rest of this should be very interesting.
00:39:05We'll see if there's any of that debris field that we're looking for, the falling treasure.
00:39:08Yeah.
00:39:09Okay, guys.
00:39:10I've got some other things I've got to go check on.
00:39:12So please keep me informed what's going to happen.
00:39:14I'm really excited about what may be down here.
00:39:16Of course.
00:39:17I think we're only in the infancy of trying to understand the solution channel.
00:39:21I don't know what's in there.
00:39:23I know what we found to date, and it is quite compelling.
00:39:27We have to have patience because we believe whatever was above fell to those depths.
00:39:35From 178.
00:39:37178.
00:39:44So here's the bedrock from 168 down to 178.
00:39:51And here's the little bit of mud where we opened up into the solution channel where we popped out.
00:39:56Let me go, Scott.
00:40:01Every hole is a little mini treasure hunt in and of itself.
00:40:05What I would like to do is to find something, the one thing, and then immediately turn our resources to
00:40:13a large-scale recovery effort.
00:40:15Clear.
00:40:16Anyway, we're going to go another 20 feet now from 178 to probably finish at 198.
00:40:23And we'll see what we've got.
00:40:24Then we'll have an artifact of three.
00:40:26It could be the one thing Charles, you never know.
00:40:28Yeah.
00:40:30What we're really looking for is treasure that could be sitting in a pocket at the bottom of the solution
00:40:35channel in around 210 feet.
00:40:37So every sloppy mess we see in those cores becomes exciting.
00:40:44Wait.
00:40:51So...
00:40:51Yeah.
00:40:52It's soft, then I hit something hard.
00:40:54Yeah, this is the pay zone.
00:40:56We're really very hopeful about very good recovery in this zone.
00:40:59Okay.
00:40:59That's good.
00:41:00How deep?
00:41:00What's your depth?
00:41:02Kyle?
00:41:03188.
00:41:04188.
00:41:05Excellent.
00:41:12He's hung up right now on something hard at that 188 level.
00:41:15I mean, that's the whole reason we're drilling right here.
00:41:18Absolutely.
00:41:20The next core sample is going to tell the tale.
00:41:22It will.
00:41:24What I'd really like to see is a coin or an artifact that says treasure.
00:41:28That's what we need.
00:41:29Your mind goes to all kinds of possibilities that as we're drilling down in the money pit area, going to
00:41:36the solution channel, could we hit a vault?
00:41:38We're hoping to find a jewel, a coin, something that changes a ball game here completely.
00:41:44We have a core, gentlemen.
00:41:46Hopefully we get something here.
00:41:48Here's hoping.
00:41:51What do we got, Kyle?
00:41:52188.
00:41:53188.
00:41:56See what we got.
00:41:59As the drill goes down, if it hits something hard, the hope is that we will find the man-made
00:42:05obstruction, the actual vault or treasure.
00:42:08I mean, that's always the hope every single time.
00:42:11And I hope at some point it comes to fruition.
00:42:15Gypsum boulder here at about 185.
00:42:19It's pretty tight.
00:42:21Not likely what we might have run into.
00:42:24Gypsum is a naturally occurring rocky mineral that is often used in the production of plaster and cement.
00:42:32However, due to its relatively soft composition, it is geologist Terry Matheson's opinion that it would not explain the obstruction
00:42:40that the drill encountered.
00:42:47Now's the time we can find an artifact or two.
00:42:49Absolutely.
00:42:55Very loose material.
00:42:59We're going to find an artifact that's going to be in something like that.
00:43:02Absolutely.
00:43:03It's a little cakey, but anyway, okay.
00:43:06Thank you, fellas.
00:43:08Thanks a lot.
00:43:13Slush right there.
00:43:16So there's some debris that fell off of the wall.
00:43:19This is actually bedding, so that's not what we really want.
00:43:22He had something that was a little harder.
00:43:25It's hard to say what we might have run into.
00:43:27Perhaps the bit pushed it deeper.
00:43:30Because the team is not finding evidence of the obstruction, is it possible that the drill bit made contact with
00:43:37a hard object and perhaps pushed it deeper into the sludge and water-filled solution channel?
00:43:43If so, what was it?
00:43:46And might they encounter it again at a greater depth?
00:43:49And we're only at 194, so we'll see what happens.
00:43:52We're planning on going at least to 210.
00:43:54Yeah, at least 210.
00:43:56Yeah.
00:43:56Yeah.
00:43:56All right, guys.
00:43:57I'll get into your wake.
00:43:59Normally, when we're drilling, if you hit something, you can still deflect off.
00:44:04But hopefully, the drill rod was able to keep its verticality.
00:44:08We're trying to go deep to the bottom of the solution channel.
00:44:11And if we can find something, then it's a whole different ballgame.
00:44:18Hey, guys.
00:44:19What are you doing?
00:44:20Charles, Terry.
00:44:21Welcome.
00:44:23Anything so far?
00:44:24No.
00:44:25Okay.
00:44:26We hit something solid at 190 feet down that may have pushed into the solution channel.
00:44:33We have a core.
00:44:35What's going on?
00:44:37How far did you get?
00:44:38213.
00:44:39213.
00:44:40Did you hit bedrock?
00:44:41Yes, sir.
00:44:41Wow.
00:44:42Okay, this is the whole enchilada, then.
00:44:46Okay.
00:44:50Okay.
00:44:52Okay, let's cut this right about here.
00:44:59It's a little firm.
00:45:02Yeah.
00:45:03More than I'd like.
00:45:10Just a little too dense.
00:45:12Yeah.
00:45:14That's nothing.
00:45:16I hope we don't have to drill every inch of that solution channel.
00:45:19I hope we find the one thing here shortly.
00:45:21But you have to cover the solution channel in its entirety.
00:45:26You just got to get after it.
00:45:28It's disappointing, but we're going to keep mapping out the bottom of that solution channel until we find what we
00:45:33hope we're going to find.
00:45:34Yep.
00:45:34Yep.
00:45:34And we'll move on to the next hole.
00:45:37That's right.
00:45:46And we'll be right back.
00:45:55five these are the spoil piles from last year of the round feature so i'm really excited to see
00:46:00what we can find here metal detection expert gary drayton and peter frenetti join the archaeology
00:46:07team as they continue to investigate the large stone foundation near the shoreline
00:46:15they're using sifters but sometimes some stuff can go through that quarter inch screen
00:46:20oh give it one last shot today gary and peter have been directed to search through a pile of spoils
00:46:28that were removed last year from the mysterious round feature for any clues that could help
00:46:35determine who occupied it and most importantly why
00:46:42yeah this could be something pete this sounds like it's non-ferrous
00:46:51well i know the rules is we have to stand down for the archaeologists to dig these targets because
00:46:56are in this special area let me call fiona fiona we got a target oh great hey because the round
00:47:08feature
00:47:08was designated by the government of nova scotia as a special place in 2024
00:47:15gary and peter must obtain permission from one of the team's accredited archaeologists
00:47:21before digging up any targets in this area yeah we've got a target here fiona you think it's non-ferrous
00:47:31hmm yeah a little piece of non-ferrous uh it's ringing up loud and clear yeah just there please
00:47:37i'm out
00:47:45you know what this you can tell this is in between the spoils pile so
00:47:48this would be something probably more in situ well it's looking like it so far i see
00:47:54an in situ target meaning that it is not in the previously removed spoils but rather in the ground
00:48:01near them all right i'll try to pinpoint see what we got
00:48:09if so could gary have identified a new area outside the rounded feature that contains potential clues or
00:48:17evidence of treasure
00:48:23oh look at this yeah i had a feeling it was going to be a little bit of lead
00:48:26tiny little bit of squash lead shot a lead shot or bullet
00:48:33ever since acquiring lot five three years ago the oak island team has unearthed a number of gun related
00:48:40artifacts such as musket balls and a ramrod guide from a rifle that could all date as far back as
00:48:48the 17th century more than 100 years before the discovery of the money pit
00:48:55that probably created somebody's supper one day yeah yeah could the team have just found more evidence of
00:49:02people who may have used this site as a camp while possibly hiding valuables in the money pit
00:49:09if so who were they if that had been a gold nugget now we'd all be dancing
00:49:15should we flag this little area yeah i mean that was on the ground so that's great
00:49:21do we allow searches yeah no absolutely uh i think we're just going to try and stay away from
00:49:26any of the perimeter of the features because we're going to still dig there but i think it really
00:49:29would be good to detect on this side because realistically most of the artifacts have all
00:49:33been kind of on the the west side of the feature i find it very strange that we're not finding
00:49:38as many
00:49:39artifacts right here let's find some treasure in this area go for it no this is perfect so i'm
00:49:44going to get back over here anything we can do to help you guys awesome cheers
00:49:56got something yeah it's iron let's take this out and see what we've got okay just there please
00:50:11hopefully it's a chunky old thing i like me chunky old things especially on lap five
00:50:18lot five is the lot that keeps on giving we're finding artifacts that were here well before the
00:50:25discovery of the money pit so we want to work together with the archaeologists to metal detect
00:50:30and my number one objective for lot five is to get some answers to help the archaeologists
00:50:36tell the story about what's happening in the future and how that relates to the money pit
00:50:45oh yeah what was making all that noise
00:50:52oh here it is oh what the heck is that
00:50:58that is something i mean look at the shape of it yeah yeah look you see it's got these bumps
00:51:04on it i
00:51:05don't know if these are corrosion and it's just encrustation on it or not yeah it looks like it has
00:51:14some sort of shape to it yeah like a design of sorts my first thought was like door hinge almost
00:51:20like the the locking mechanism a piece of a possible door hinge if so could it be related to the
00:51:29nearby
00:51:30rounded feature this could still tell a story and help solve the mystery yeah we're not too far from
00:51:36the ground feature the people on lot five would have had locks of some kind they could have had chests
00:51:44and doors that needed locking and i'm looking forward to seeing what the archaeologists dig up about this find
00:52:01got something yeah bigger piece of iron fiona when you get a chance can you come over here sure thank
00:52:10you yeah we're close to the ram feature i like your location over here we haven't found a lot of
00:52:16over
00:52:16at this side of this round feature well i'm hoping this is something interesting it's an iron
00:52:22it but it's substantial go for it oh that's going to be tricky
00:52:45oh well done wow that's really deep i wonder if i should grab my trowel just i was thinking
00:52:51yeah okay maybe a good idea to be safe i mean we're in worm tickler territory now
00:52:59okay i'll pinpoint it for you fiona okay
00:53:04oh it's a streamer right there it's really deep yeah it is that's about 10 inches
00:53:14yeah i can see it right here it's and it is a substantial size i just don't want to break
00:53:20it right
00:53:21here's a piece
00:53:27like that looks like glass that's glass that's the older stuff
00:53:33then look at the color of it and that's pretty green that's looking like older glass
00:53:45you know what there's all sorts of things down here to be honest i'm seeing some coarse earthenware now
00:53:50too so the fact that the fact that we've got coarse earthenware you've got glass and a big piece of
00:53:57iron
00:53:57i think we need to um not dig this up right now yeah i want to take out just a
00:54:03bit of the roots i think
00:54:03we'll just make it a little bit bigger this may just be a pile of something that got thrown here
00:54:09but what if it's something else yeah what if this is another part of a foundation
00:54:14we are not that far away from this feature because we found the starburst button right over here and
00:54:20which is literally four feet away from us we found the spiral button right over here and that's really
00:54:26really close to to this oh wow this could potentially be be part of whatever's going on over this feature
00:54:33another potential section of the mysterious round feature on lot five and mere feet from where the
00:54:40team uncovered two ornate buttons that may be connected to the 17th century order known as the knights of malta
00:54:48a religious order who just like the portuguese knights of christ descended from the knights templar
00:54:56we're in total agreement and a new knows what else is down well that's what i'm thinking too
00:55:01so we'll we'll hold this for now and if you're okay to keep going with the rest of it for
00:55:06sure due to
00:55:08provincial regulations because fiona believes that gary and peter may have found another part of the
00:55:14rounded feature she and the archaeology team must now perform further excavations of this site to locate
00:55:22the large metal object and whatever else may be buried here now we've found this who knows what else is
00:55:28waiting for us over here this is really encouraging
00:55:36it's treasure time yep as the investigations continue in the money pit area this is just
00:55:43starting to hit gravel and on lot five okay everybody this is the first of what are going to be
00:55:50hopefully
00:55:50a whole bunch of sessions in the lab yeah rick and marty lagina along with other members of the team
00:55:57meet with archaeologist laird niven and archaeometallurgist emma culligan in the oak island laboratory
00:56:05while emma is still conducting scientific analysis of the 14th century silver coin
00:56:12she has prepared a report on the chisel that was recently found in the muddy pit spoils from last year's
00:56:19large-scale excavations what did you find out emma all right so the chisel did get a good strip of
00:56:26bare
00:56:27metal from this area right here so i have the compositions up here earlier today emma scanned
00:56:34the iron artifact using an x-ray fluorescence or xrf device a device that emits non-destructive radiation
00:56:43to identify an object's chemical composition which can help determine when it may have been created
00:56:51it lacks any modern alloying element like manganese or any other element that would normally find
00:56:58which indicate older brilliant this is definitively not modern so we would comfortably put it in the 1700s
00:57:08and it could potentially be older wow look those days yeah the chisel is actually very exciting
00:57:16that's before the story of the first treasure hunt efforts on oak island so it could be part of an
00:57:22original deposit it gets interesting it's a great find it to start off the year like this you have an
00:57:30old tool followed it at depth in the money pit this is not the one thing but we're getting there
00:57:36all
00:57:37right i'm satisfied well done we'll get you some more there's gonna be some more fines coming and i'm
00:57:44hoping it's made of gold and silver well as rick always says we gotta go find it yep see you
00:57:51later thank you
00:57:57the following morning hey terry charles hey alex in the money pit area alex lagina joins geologist
00:58:07terry matheson and oak island historian charles barkhouse as they continue monitoring the drilling
00:58:14operation in borehole h.5 8.5 what depth are we at what they're going to bring up in a
00:58:22second here
00:58:23is from 168 to 170. okay and anything so far or what's coming up right now should be a good
00:58:28clean run
00:58:29there oh here we go come here could be something in the barrel there something's sticking out it looks
00:58:34like what you got adam what is that that looks like some steel to me yeah it does
00:58:44that's a chunk of metal yeah a large metal object extracted from nearly 180 feet deep in the solution
00:58:56channel you know finding this piece of metal and he's very excited because we're not sure what it is
00:59:02anything below 150 is a really interesting level for us to search because we don't know the exact
00:59:09location of the original money pit i don't know i don't know what that is interesting hey scott check
00:59:17that out
00:59:22very thick i agree it's really substantial you know we may be on to something yeah let's spit it out
00:59:31spit it out yep we're drilling down pretty deep here at this point in the solution channel
00:59:38first thing we need to do is get it out of there and have a look and see what it
00:59:41is
00:59:45it's still sitting right there
00:59:50that's another piece that's another piece
00:59:55let's see what it is we can take a look on the table yeah
01:00:03a second metal object found in the solution channel the questions that now arise are just
01:00:10what could they be and who may have left them buried in the money pit area
01:00:17what's the depth go 178
01:00:21so let's have a look here this is the bottom this is where the chunk was sticking right out
01:00:32that looks like a chunk of old drill rod yeah it does that was projecting out the bottom that was
01:00:38what we were looking at just twisted up there pretty tight yeah yeah look at that another chunk
01:00:45yeah i'd say you're you may be looking at the whole piece right there though volanchilada the whole
01:00:51chunk you know what i mean like it was very small damn it's buckled a couple of ways yeah
01:00:55this is good somebody else was here in this area we know other treasure hunters throughout the search
01:01:01have come really really close to the point that they got indications that they had hit something yeah
01:01:05and i love finding old drill steel especially here in the money pit because like i said they didn't
01:01:10get the recovery back from that so they never got to check what's below that yeah interesting it's
01:01:15about the right size to be a two inch diameter casing which could have been the casing for that pot
01:01:20auger potentially brought back that silver coin we saw yeah yeah so actually james pitplato he was
01:01:26seen taking something out of the pot auger he put it in his pocket he didn't show up the next
01:01:32day hey
01:01:32and you know another reason for casing to still be in the ground is if your driller quits and walks
01:01:37off
01:01:37the site because he found something that's right look i think emma's going to be able to test this
01:01:43and tell us whether this dates to the 1840s right huh if it does and it means we're we're in
01:01:49the same
01:01:49vicinity if that dates to 1849 yeah yeah the fact that the team has found pieces of what appear to
01:01:57be drilling rods from previous searcher activity may actually be a critical clue that they are now
01:02:02drilling down through the original money pit we might be able to determine which company it came from
01:02:08if it's 1815 earlier earlier searchers knew where the money pit was that means we could be on to
01:02:13something there could be something below it it could be the remains of the vault and then of course 178
01:02:21feet we still have you know 30 plus feet to drill and we really don't know what's at the bottom
01:02:26of
01:02:26the solution channel in this area yet well let's keep our fingers crossed yeah all right exciting great day
01:02:37while the drilling operation continues in the money pit area this is 180
01:02:44later that afternoon
01:02:49what do you think kenzie have you found anything i'm not much over here rick and alex lagina arrive on
01:02:57lot
01:02:57five as members of the team continue investigating the mysterious round feature you still have iron
01:03:05louse thing yeah and a possible new section of it where a large metal object was detected just one day
01:03:13ago there's definitely more in here
01:03:18that's it almost looks like an iron bar what a weird looking artifact would they just have like
01:03:27metal around that they could use to fashion tools with a blacksmith would have a stock
01:03:35it is an odd looking piece so i think we keep it dirty and take it to ammo oh it's
01:03:41still pretty cool
01:03:42i'm excited to see what else might be in here good stuff i think lot five continues to evolve
01:03:49we're all quite puzzled by the uniqueness of the structure and it continues to grow larger so all of
01:03:56these artifacts could be highly relevant we have to bring them to the lab we need more of these finds
01:04:02to hopefully fill in those gaps and give us those answers
01:04:09oh what's this hey look at this oh that looks good i don't think i've seen anything like this before
01:04:20i can tell you what it is really yeah stuff with your slipware oh i've heard of that yep yep
01:04:29and
01:04:29this is one of the earliest pieces we haven't found any more of this before
01:04:34so when you say early how early are you talking stuff just slipware is like 1675 to 1770.
01:04:40well that's a game changer alex rick yeah we've got something to show you all right
01:04:50so fiona just found this
01:04:53this is what we call staffordshire slipware it dates 1675 to 1770. that's pretty good
01:05:01that's really exciting actually so early stuff we know we're not done here on lot five by a long shot
01:05:09we're finding these earlier artifacts that are hinting at an occupation in the 1600s in this whole
01:05:15new test pit all of which seem to predate the treasure hunt in the money pit we're going to expand
01:05:22the pit dig down deeper and hopefully we can find more artifacts like that or better who knows what we're
01:05:28going to learn well you can tell our work here is definitely not done on lot five i mean this
01:05:33is
01:05:33starting to intrigue me when you're looking at these date ranges that's really encouraging to me i have
01:05:38to remember this feature is completely undocumented yeah we're changing nova scotian history really
01:05:43oh absolutely i have long believed that the 1750 and onward date is searcher era because of the
01:05:50preponderance of fines if you're a searcher you don't care that people make note of your activity
01:05:57we have the earliest days around 1200 and then we have that middle ground right the 14 15 early 1600s
01:06:07when you think of it long ago they viewed time differently than we do oh yeah all the big
01:06:14projects like castles cathedrals and all that stuff if you look at generations years yeah and so that's
01:06:20what i think happened here could rick's notion be correct is it possible that this potentially
01:06:2617th century pottery was left by one of several groups who may have occupied lot five while also
01:06:33hiding something of great value in the money pit if so what else might those mysterious people have left
01:06:41here for the team to uncover that's really cool i hope i can find one of those yeah find a
01:06:48big i'll work
01:06:49believe me i've been trying hopefully we'll find more
01:07:12alex alex yeah i think i found uh no way how in the heck did you find that
01:07:23how in the heck did you find that that's a bead hey laird tansy found a bead oh really yeah
01:07:31oh while excavating the round feature on lot five archaeology assistant tansy rudnicki
01:07:40has just uncovered another potentially important clue honestly i can't believe she even found it
01:07:46it's tiny excellent wow you want me to hand it to him yeah don't drop it
01:07:54there you go oh look at that tansy you found it pretty deep right i mean you're getting close
01:08:00to sterile soil there it looks like yeah moya had found a similar bead almost at the similar
01:08:05depth that you're going to and she found it right over here in what we call the yard but we've
01:08:10also
01:08:10found two other venetian beads which were uh the striped ones that had blue and red stripes on it
01:08:15with those two venetian beads yeah those were venetians but the other one that to me is the
01:08:19most interesting is the green wound bead that we found over in the test bit over there who found that
01:08:25i found that one yeah that was exciting because that was one that you said had a really old age
01:08:30range
01:08:31or date range on it it's walled glass uh which means forest glass and it was produced in forests in
01:08:37northern europe it was like 1200 to 1500 i mean it was old believe it or not this is what
01:08:47we call a
01:08:47seed bead i can see why like is it so small for that very reason yeah probably not worn as
01:08:54you would
01:08:55think beads are it's probably embroidered which is pretty cool is there a way to get like an age or
01:09:01a date on it we can probably find if it's most likely venetian but the venetians just
01:09:07kept that tradition up over hundreds of years probably on the earlier side of what we're finding
01:09:11here yeah in 1291 artisans in venice italy began producing decorative glass beads that soon became
01:09:21a highly sought form of currency as well as status symbols used to adorn ceremonial garments jewelry and
01:09:30religious artifacts over the past two years the oak island team has found four venetian trade
01:09:37beads in and around this stone foundation on lot five that could date back to between the 16th and 17th
01:09:45centuries two of which may even be connected to the knights of malta however they have also recovered
01:09:54a so-called forest glass bead in this location which scientific analysis determined could date as far back
01:10:02as the 10th century is it getting to the point that it's an unusual amount of beads for a site
01:10:09like
01:10:09this the number of beads and the variety we have seems to be unusual well and they're scattered
01:10:13yeah everywhere i know i know given the number of potentially ancient and valuable trade beads as well as
01:10:23the 14th century barter token that the team has found in this feature is it possible that it may have
01:10:30been
01:10:30used not only as a base camp long ago by different groups of people but also as a place to
01:10:37hide valuables
01:10:39if so what else might the team find as they continue to excavate it hey rick hey i know one
01:10:48thing when
01:10:48people are standing here talking something's been found take a look oh my gosh it's a little seed bead
01:10:56class well well congratulations well done yeah the one thing that's curious when you speak about going
01:11:04back in time we now have this possible connection to a 1360 1380 portuguese coin can that the date of
01:11:14that go back to that time it could before i think we've investigated who could have come here now we
01:11:22have what appears to be pretty good hints of connected tissue in the form of the coin and we're looking
01:11:27for other things that we might help that connection so like the beads would be one if we can trace
01:11:32these
01:11:33beads back to a portuguese merchant yeah then that helps us have more confidence in in what the coin might
01:11:39be telling us see how they're finding that little thing's kind of the tip of the iceberg yeah really the
01:11:43bottom line is there's probably more here yeah and that's cool cool all right you guys can go back
01:11:49to work and they take this back to emma okay see what we can find out fair enough try to
01:11:53find more
01:11:54everybody get ready to pull out the gold coins as the investigation on lot five continues
01:12:01all right here we go h.5 8.5 178 to 188 we're going at it right now guys here
01:12:09we go
01:12:10over in the money pit area other members of the team closely monitor the core drilling operation
01:12:17in borehole h.5 8.5 as it reaches deeper into the mysterious solution channel this is a very hot
01:12:25spot for drilling 186 is deeper than any search that we know of has been exactly that's why we're
01:12:32going to look at these areas in much more detail
01:12:41that's a dark water looks like we've got a sample
01:12:46here comes the core here comes see what's in store
01:12:53what you got adam 188 thank you
01:13:03somewhat bedded and firm unfortunately look at that
01:13:08come here at the top thank you very tight clay rich material slightly looser here
01:13:16look at that now this material is different that is loose material although much of the core is made
01:13:24up of hard clay-like material which terry believes is undisturbed the looser soils in the core could
01:13:32suggest evidence of the solution channel which means they could potentially contain something of value
01:13:40i'm going to run over with the metal detector go ahead charles
01:13:48you know thanks steve
01:13:51oh you have something there's something in here right here okay
01:13:58i got a hit right here guys it's in here somewhere
01:14:04look at it it's all shiny what is all that stuff you see how shiny that is okay that's shiny
01:14:11what is that
01:14:16see it right there yeah that looks like steel okay we'll bag it anyway let's let me bag it yep
01:14:23yeah upon drilling to a depth of some 190 feet in the money pit area members of the oak island
01:14:31team
01:14:32have just unearthed another potentially significant clue from the mysterious solution channel okay let's
01:14:39start breaking her down okay this will be a broken piece of metal from what air i don't know
01:14:47something in here and there okay that's it that's it right there more pieces of metal
01:14:56could the team have found additional evidence of previous searcher activity or could this be a clue
01:15:03connected to someone who buried valuables in the original money pit centuries ago
01:15:09so we'll be sure we get every little fragment we're going to bag it all take it back to the
01:15:13left
01:15:15hey guys i'm going to go check on a couple of things here around the island i'll be back if
01:15:18something is up in that last core give me a call would you please will do take care right now
01:15:23we've
01:15:23got another core coming up here it comes guys you know over the years we've looked at a lot of
01:15:30cores
01:15:31we've run the pinpointer over a lot of cores full-on anaconda here but after seeing the coin
01:15:36that steve solomon has 214 right there i mean your mind just kind of goes to the possibility that
01:15:43are we going to get another one of those and that that would be amazing to find the one thing
01:15:48to put in rick's hand okay there we are there's the bedrock interface right there where we go into
01:15:54solid bedrock at 212 but from 201 down to about 208 i think we got a lot of slushy material
01:16:03yeah
01:16:09okay that's clear this material is not what we're looking for yeah not what we're hoping to
01:16:14find let's get a sample of those loose materials back to the lab so that emma can tell us exactly
01:16:19what's in there although the team did not recover clear evidence of treasure in this borehole they
01:16:26will collect samples of the soil from the bottom of the solution channel so that they can be tested
01:16:31for traces of precious metals back in the lab finding those metals at great depth beyond which
01:16:38searchers at least recorded searchers have been to it proves that the collapse is real and that's
01:16:46the enterprise this year to explore those depths to hopefully find what we believe has fallen
01:16:54okay i'll get some pictures and write this up we'll move on charles okay more information from the
01:16:59bottom of the solution channel
01:17:03the following morning while the drilling of a new borehole begins in the money pit area
01:17:11and the archaeological dig proceeds on lot five
01:17:16you know as everyone knows steve solomon was kind enough to bring this coin to the war room meeting
01:17:23the other day rick lagina and other members of the team meet with archaeometallurgist emma culligan
01:17:29and steve solomon in the lab we turn to emma as we always do to see what the coin is
01:17:36saying to us emma has
01:17:38just completed her scientific analysis of the believed 14th century portuguese coin that was
01:17:44reportedly recovered from the original money pit back in 1849. okay so i've done a full report on the
01:17:54coin it's made of 0.375 silver it's got a high copper high silver content it's got a slight bend
01:18:02mm-hmm right but other than that it's in perfect condition beautiful coin yeah so i can confirm that
01:18:11it is a real portuguese coin it is consistent with every coin that i've compared it to that is confirmed
01:18:20okay it's a tornas the escudo of ferdinand ii from portugal most likely from 1367 to 1383. it's real
01:18:28that's cool yeah ferdinand ii also known as the handsome reigned as the king of portugal from 1367
01:18:39to 1383. it was a period when the knights of christ a rebranded order of the knights templar maintained
01:18:49numerous strongholds across the country and had meaningful influence on the crown due to their
01:18:55economic power and military might is it possible that this coin reportedly found deep in the original
01:19:05money pit back in 1849 could be another clue linking a vast templar treasure to the oak island mystery
01:19:15emma would you get it larger the bottom of the coin a little bit to the left
01:19:24that looks like a templar cross does it to you guys oh yeah it looks yeah good catch that's an
01:19:31interesting catch judy because if that's a templar cross the knights of christ they're of course one
01:19:35of our suspects for deposition here on the island a possible templar cross has judy rudibush just made
01:19:43a critical observation that offers more evidence to suggest that the knights of christ may have been one
01:19:50of the templar related groups who buried something of great value on oak island between the 12th and 17th
01:19:57centuries
01:20:00there's a lot of interesting things about the coin that i think we can
01:20:05push further what do you make of a six-pointed star on the sides
01:20:12front arcada front arcada over top of the doorway front arcada over the doorway we might be looking
01:20:18at what i think is you know the oldest templar commandery or place in in portugal maybe in europe
01:20:24wow during the team's visit to portugal in 2021 oh wow one of the most profound sites they toured
01:20:32was a 12th century church in the town of front arcada that once served as a house of worship for
01:20:38the
01:20:38knights templar and later the knights of christ we will find symbolism in some details of the church
01:20:48there they not only saw carving of a star that matches the one on the 14th century coin this
01:20:55symbol is definitely on an 80 foot stone but also a symbol inside the church that was reportedly etched
01:21:01into the legendary 90-foot stone haven't we learned over these many years that the smallest clue relays
01:21:10some really important information there is something that that coin is saying this is incredibly
01:21:16interesting fascinating really this coin strongly hints to me supporting the idea of a multi-generational
01:21:24attempt because for one simple reason we have dates that precede this 1367 date supported by hard science
01:21:33that's quite significant to me the likely presence of this coin at depth years ago means that there's
01:21:40a lot more like it down there and if there's a lot more like it it's quite likely to be
01:21:46deep and i think we're on to a
01:21:48very rational effort this year to get down into the solution channel so we're not going home without
01:21:53doing that yeah look we're all quite fascinated with it well i don't know about all of you but it'd
01:21:59be
01:21:59nice to talk to a coin expert absolutely for sure and you know what steve solomon we owe you a
01:22:04debt of
01:22:05gratitude we're very grateful that you're now unfortunately for you you're part of the family
01:22:09yeah thank you i appreciate being here there are probably a lot more ancient coins to be found so
01:22:17let's get going the 230th year in the search for a vast treasure on oak island has just begun
01:22:26and thanks to the efforts of rick marty craig and their team it has already produced a discovery
01:22:33that may validate the tireless efforts of all the faithful believers who came before them now as the
01:22:44team digs deeper than ever in the money pit area and across the island what else might they bring to
01:22:51the surface chests full of 14th century silver coins or could there be even more profound and priceless
01:23:01secrets that have waited centuries to be revealed
01:23:09this season on the curse of oak island ready let's get going if it's there we should find
01:23:15we just need to find the right spot we have to figure out where that treasure fell into the solution
01:23:20channel whoa we're probably into the void who was here here it is right there it's got some sort of
01:23:26design on it why were they here this is clearly roman like 250 270 80. what do you think it
01:23:33would
01:23:33fetch sky's the limit a chest of coins such as that could easily be a billion dollars buy some treasure
01:23:40boys it's a treasure island it's a treasure story whoa whoa another feature in the swamp what in the world
01:23:47is
01:23:47happening this feature could help us unwrap the whole mystery oh this is a jewel jeweled crown
01:23:52hell no yeah it's a megalith a huge boulder look at this tunnel see if there's anything in here what
01:23:57do you think of that it looks like gold yeah lift that boulder up and see what's underneath it
01:24:03roll our dice and see if sevens come up you've got it it's what i'm looking for wowzer there
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