Lot 16: 17th Century Britannia Coin
- Gary Drayton found these two King Charles II Brtiannia coins from the 17th century.
- They were minted in the 1600s, which is more than 100 years before the first discovery of the Money Pit in 1795.
Lot 21: French Military Cap Badge
- A French military cap badge found on Lot 21 might be from a French grenadier's hat from the 1700s.
- This artifact could be evidence of the Duc D'Anville Expedition of 1746, an armada of 97 ships and 13,000 men that was launched by France in an attempt to seize Nova Scotia from the British and was led by a member of the ancient royal La Rochefoucauld family.
Lot 21: Decorative Lead Piece
- This artifact was unearthed near the site of Daniel McGinnis' old home on Lot 21.
- Its design suggests an ancient metalwork technique called cloisonne.
- This object has an identical lead isotope of the Lead Cross, which means both come from the pre-15th century ore deposits.
Lot 21: Gold Plated Brooch
- The first confirmed gold found on Oak Island, this brooch dates back as early as the 14th century.
- It continues to be a mystery if this brooch is a piece of buried treasure or was once the property of a resident.
Lot 24: Samuel Ball's Slave Tag
- The discovery of a tag with the name Ball engraved in it might have belonged to Samuel Ball, a freed American enslaved person who became one of Nova Scotia's wealthiest land owners.
- Is it possible Ball found of the treasure?
Lot 26: The Stone Well
- Located more than half a mile from the Money Pit on the western side of the island, this stone well, which curiously never freezes during the harsh Winter months, may be 800 years old - or older. It also happens to be the only place outside of the Money Pit area where water sample testing has revealed high-trace evidence of silver.
Lot 26: The Stone Wall
- In 2022 Archaeologist Laird Niven led the investigation of this stone wall, which has an unusual construction style compared to other stones walls that were known to have been built by 19th century farmers on other areas of Oak Island. It has been speculated to not only be of Portuguese origin, but carbon dating charcoal that was found within it has revealed that was created between 1474 and 1638.
Swamp: Spanish Galleon Spike
- This wrought iron spike dating from the late 1600s to the early 1700s would have been used to nail down decking boards of the Spanish Galleon.
- This discovery could be another clue that a Spanish Galleon and its treasure could be sunk in the Oak Island swamp.
Swamp: 1652 Spanish Maravedi
Discovered in the swamp during the first season by the Laginas and their team, this copper coin from 1652 suggests that there was activity on Oak Island long before the 1795 discovery of the Money Pit.
Money Pit/GAL-1: Gold Plated Button
- Gary Drayton's discovery of a gold-plated military officer's button joins other military finds as evidence that Oak Island's subterranean structures and anomalies could be the work of 18th-century British military.
Money Pit/Bore Hole C-1: Gold Shiny Object
- An underground camera captured video footage of a mysterious shiny object that could be gold
- Divers were unable to locate and identify the object and it still remains a mystery.
Money Pit/Bore Hole H-1: Parchment
- Found 160 feet underground, this parchment and leather bookbinding could be clues that support a theory that William Shakespeare's original manuscripts could be buried in the Money Pit.
Money Pit/Bore Hole H-1: Leather Bookbinding
- Leather bookbinding was found 160 feet underground along with bits of parchment.
- This could be a clue that supports a theory that Sir Francis Bacon once visited the island to bury William Shakespeare's original manuscripts.
Money Pit/Bore Hole H-1: Purple Wood
- A shard of purple-stained wood was discovered in the same borehole as vegetable-tanned leather bookbinding and scraps of parchment.
- The wood's color resembles Tyrian blue, a dye used by royalty and church documents.
- It's likely the wood was stained a vegetable dye and may be a fragment of bookbinding that the parchment was once part of.
Money Pit/Bore Hole H-1: Human Bone
- Samples of human bone dating back to the 17th century were found during a dig in the Money Pit.
- DNA testing shows that these bones came from two individuals, one of European descent and one of Middle Eastern descent.
Money Pit/Bore Hole H-1: Pearlware Pottery
- Shards of pottery were discovered at an astounding 192 feet underground.
- No other human-made object has been recovered on Oak Island at that depth.
- The imitation Chinese porcelain on these hand-painted pearlware pottery fragments suggest that they originate from Staffordshire, England from 1700-1800.
Money Pit: Gold in the Money Pit
- In 2022, geoscientist Dr. Ian Spooner and his colleagues chemist Dr. Matt Lukeman and hydrogeologist Dr. Fred Michel conducted water testing in previously drilled boreholes all across the Money Pit area. Incredibly, they determined that an unnatural source of gold appears to be buried between a depth of 80 and 120 feet underground and seems to be concentrated in a 20-by-20-foot area that the team has affectionally dubbed “The Baby Blob."
Money Pit: The 95-Foot Deep Tunnel
- While conducting a core drilling operation in an attempt to find the source of the precious metals that have been detected in the Money Pit area, the team encountered a previously unknown tunnel at a depth of 95 feet in three different boreholes. It has been determined to run on an east to west line beneath the Garden Shaft, and also straight through "the Baby Blob” where high trace evidence of gold and silver has been detected between 80 and 120 feet underground.
Money Pit: The Garden Shaft
- This 82-foot-deep structure, which was first thought by the team to be an 18th century searcher shaft, is now believed to be a critical key to solving the Oak Island mystery. In 2022, a wood sample was carbon dated to as early as 1735 — sixty years before the discovery of the original Money Pit. Subsequent water sample testing in the shaft revealed high trace evidence of gold. The Fellowship is currently working with Dumas Contracting Ltd. to rebuild the structure in order to use it to investigate deep underground for more clues – and valuables. The ongoing operation has also revealed traces of gold on additional wood samples taken from the shaft and the structure is now known to set just several feet above the possible treasure tunnel located at a depth of 95 feet.
Smith's Cove: Coconut Fiber
- Dating back to 1260-1400, coconut fibers were first discovered in Smith's Cove in 1850 along with five stone box drains that were meant to booby trap the Money Pit by filling it with water.
- The drains were covered by coconut fibers and eelgrass to filter sand and debris that could clog the drains.
- Discovery of these fibers suggests that box drains exist.
Smith's Cove: Lead Cross
- Considered one of the biggest finds, this lead cross was discovered at Smith's Cove.
- Testing showed that the material in the lead is from Southern France and dates back to the 1300s or 1400s.
- This artifact supports the theory that the Knights Templar may have been on the island.
Smith's Cove: French Drains
- This human-made drainage system implements an ancient method of rock placement that controls water flow without pumps or pipes.
Smith's Cove: Hinge
- Gary Drayton discovered a wrought iron hinge that is similar to the decorative hinges discovered on Fred Nolan's property.
- Tests conclude that it dates between the early 1600s to 1700s and could be a hinge meant for a very thick door.
- Could it be a hinge to a treasure chest?
Smith's Cove: U-Shaped Structure
- In 1970, a U-Shaped structure was discovered by treasure hunter Dan Blankenship after creating a cofferdam around Smith's Cove.
- The structure has a notch in it every four feet and features a different Roman number.
- Dendrochronology dated the wood structure to 1769.
Smith's Cove: Slipway
- The discovery of beams dates back to 1771—two decades before the first discovery of the Money Pit. This suggests there was activity in Smith's Cove earlier than first thought.
- Tests reveal the wood beams predate the discovery of the Money Pit by more than two decades.
- Who built this slipway and why?
Smith's Cove: Box Drain
- A possible entrance to one of the five stone box drains was discovered at Smith's Cove.
- These drains were first discovered in 1850 by the Truro Company and may have fed into one tunnel meant to fill the Money Pit with water as a booby trap.
Other Finds Not on the Map
The Stone Wharf in the Swamp
This stone wharf, which was determined to be at least 300 years old, was unearthed in Season 8 and provides further evidence that the Oak Island swamp is a man-made feature.
The Stone Pathway
As the team uncovered more and more of this stone feature in Season 8, they realized it was leading them away from the swamp—into the uplands and straight towards the Money Pit.
The Paved Area
After draining the swamp and conducting a massive excavation to investigate the theory long-held by the late Fred Nolan that the swamp was man-made, the Fellowship uncovered this massive stone feature that dated to 1200 A.D.
The Ship’s Railing
While digging near the southern border of the triangle-shaped swamp during Season 8, the Fellowship discovered this piece of wooden ship’s railing that dated from 660 to 770 A.D., making it the oldest artifact ever found on Oak Island to that point.
The Chinese Cash Coin
While metal detecting on Lot 15 between the Swamp and Money Pit, Gary Drayton and Jack Begley made this find that could be as much as 1300 years old or older.
Silver in the Money Pit
In Season 8, water sampling tests conducted in numerous boreholes in the Money Pit provided scientific proof that a “dump-truck-load” of silver lies buried deep below the spot that started the mystery more than two centuries ago.
The Iron Swages
While metal detecting on Lot 21 in 2019, Gary Drayton and Dan Henskee unearthed two iron objects that blacksmithing expert Carmen Legge believes to be swages or tunneling tools used to sharpen rock drills.
The Lead Bag Seal
While metal detecting on Lot 32, Gary Drayton and David Fornetti discovered this lead, cloth, bag seal with possible Templar origins indicated by the mysterious markings found on its face.
19th Century British Naval Officer’s Button
While investigating near the foundation of Samual Ball’s former home on Lot 25, Alex Lagina spotted what the team believes is a British naval officer's button from around 1804 to 1825. But what would a British naval officer be doing visiting the home of a simple cabbage farmer?
15th Century Wooden Cargo Barrels
While investigating the massive stone wharf feature in the swamp, Rick Lagina found pieces of a wooden cargo barrel that dated to as early as the 15th century. Might it have been part of a barrel that once contained a portion of the Oak Island treasure?
The Leather Boot Heel
Found in the spoils of borehole 8-B in the Money Pit, this leather boot heel dated to as early as 1492 and is believed to have come from the boot of a very prominent individual.
The Gold Colored Knob
Found along the stone pathway in the swamp, Oak Island artifact conservator Sandy Campbell believes this gold-colored knob to be far from modern and possibly from a jewel chest.
The Trade Weight
While investigating the stone wharf in the swamp, Rick Lagina and Doug Crowell discovered this ancient trade weight, which was traditionally used to measure and distribute precious metals.
Cobblestone Pathway
Following up on the team’s discovery of the stone road, in 2021, Alex Lagina and his cousin David Fornetti conducted a ground penetrating radar scan beginning where the rocky feature appeared to end at the Eastern border of the swamp. Several weeks later, Marty Lagina, himself, led the dig to see just what his son, Alex and nephew David had found leading away from the swamp. Unfortunately, this “ground-breaking” find came at the tail end of Season 9, when the team was forced to end their search activities due to the onset of Winter.
The Lot 4 Cannon
After detecting a metallic anomaly on Lot 4 in area noted on Zena Halpern’s Templar map as “The Hole under the Hatch,” Metal Detection Expert Gary Drayton unearthed this mysterious piece of metal. But it wasn’t until Dr. Christa Brosseau was able to analyze it that the team learned the metal could have come from a cannon and possibly one of Portuguese origin.
The Stone Shot Cannon Balls
In 2020, while searching the spoils excavated from the E-5.25 shaft, treasure hunter Michael John and surveyor Steve Guptil made this discovery: a small stone cannonball unearthed from more than 100 feet deep in the Money Pit area. one year later, Rick Lagina and Gary Drayton found a second piece along a possible pathway between the swamp and the Money Pit. But even more amazing, is these two pieces were made from material found commonly in the Azores islands of Portugal.
Potential 15th Century Tunnels
In 2021, while core-drilling a borehole known as CD-6, the Fellowship unearthed pieces of wood indicating a tunnel at a depth of about 90 feet. A fact that was confirmed when the team drilled borehole D-2 just five feet away. When they had the wood carbon dated, they were stunned to find out that this tunnel could date all the way back to the 15th century.
The AB-13 Void
As the Fellowship drilled a 6-inch borehole dubbed AB-13 -- just a few feet from the shaft where they unearthed the Portuguese stone shot at a depth of nearly 70 feet, the team drilled into a large, air-filled void! The first thought was, of course, that they might have once again drilled into an ancient tunnel, but Marty’s theory is that the original Money Pit may be connected to a tunnel that leads up to a separate “off-set” chamber where the fabled vault could be safely hiding in dry ground.
Metal in D-2
While excavating borehole D-2 in 2021, the Fellowship recovered a small piece of metal. The team immediately ran the artifact through the X-Ray Fluorescence device to determine its elemental composition and discovered that this mysterious piece of metal has traces of gold imbedded in it.
Mason’s T-Square
In 2020, while investigating the triangle shaped swamp, the Rick Lagina and Gary Drayton discovered this mysterious wooden object, which they believe to be a masonic tool or T-Square. Later carbon dating revealed the origin of this T-Square could be as far back as 1632.
The Adze
Unearthed on Lot 4 in 2021, this type of wood-finishing tool dates back to ancient Egypt, but when expert Carmen Legge analyzed it, he believed it to be of an old English design and possibly used to shape wood into decks and planking. In his opinion, this tool was forged sometime between 1620 and 1740.
Lot 25 Wharf
While searching the waters just off of Lot 25, the property that once belonged to Samuel Ball, the Fellowship discovered a massive wharf measuring roughly 16 feet wide at least 100 feet long, which begs the question, why would a simple cabbage farmer need a wharf of that size?
The Stone Ramp
In 2022, the team unearthed this believed 500-year-old incline of paving stones, which connects the possibly 800-year-old “paved area” in the middled of the swamp to the possibly 500 year-old stone pathway that is speculated to lead toward the Money Pit area. Whoever constructed the ramp and pathway seemed to have foreknowledge that the paved area existed. Were these features used during different eras to unload something of great value onto Oak Island?
Lot 5: The Roman Half Coin
Discovered in 2022 by Gary Drayton and Rick Lagina, this half coin was unearthed near the center of Lot 5. It has been determined by numismatist Sandy Campbell to be of Roman Origin and dates back to approximately 300 B.C.
Lot 5: The Circular Depression
This man-made feature near the shoreline of Lot 5 is one of the most mysterious constructs on Oak Island. After the team began investigating it in 2022, they discovered not only early 18th century artifacts such as pottery, but also determined that it has a diameter of thirteen feet. This is the same diameter that the original Money Pit was reported to have when it was discovered in 1795. The team is eager to determine just how deep this feature may be and just what else it might contain.
Lot 5: The Lead Barter Token
This small disc with scalloped edges was found near the circular depression on Lot 5 in 2022. Laser ablation testing revealed that it may be related to the 14th century French lead cross that was discovered at Smith’s Cove in 2017. Could this medieval barter token be another piece of evidence that connects the Knights Templar to the Oak Island mystery?
Lot 5: The Rectangular Foundation
This mysterious feature was discovered in 2022 after metal detection expert Gary Drayton and the Laginas discovered a number of artifacts near the surface. The archaeological team has not only determined that it was purposely buried by someone, but have also found pipe stems, metal spikes and pottery that have dated it to as early as the 1730s. This is the same time period that the Garden Shaft in the Money Pit is believed to have been constructed. Could they have been created by the same people in order to hide something of great value on Oak Island?
Lot 7: The Barter Token
Discovered by Gary Drayton and Jack Begley in 2022, this trade weight was determined by archaeometallurgist Emma Culligan to contain arsenical bronze. Emma informed the team that the use of this potentially hazardous chemical compound in metallurgy ceased after 1500 A.D. meaning that this artifact is at least 500 years old.