13x08 - Into the Fold

[bunniefuu]

[narrator] Tonight on
The Curse of Oak Island...

[Charles] We have
a core, gentlemen.

[Terry] This must be
the solution channel.

[Scott] That has
the ability to hide treasure.

-[Charles] I got something right
in here. -[pinpointer beeping]

- [Terry] Oh. There it is.
- Yeah, it's there.

- [pinpointer beeping]
- Ooh.

Ooh-hoo! What have we got here?!

Well done, mate.

[Isabelle] Oh, my gosh.

Laird, can you tell
if this is a jewel?

- It is high-grade.
- Made in the Old World?

Yep. That takes us
to a whole new level.

♪ ♪

[narrator] There is an island
in the North Atlantic

where people
have been looking for

an incredible treasure
for more than 200 years.

So far, they have found
a stone slab

with strange symbols
carved into it,

man-made workings
that date to medieval times,

and a lead cross
whose origin may be connected

to the Knights Templar.

To date, six men have died

trying to solve the mystery.

And according to legend,
one more will have to die

before the treasure
can be found.

♪ ♪

[Terry] Uh, just firing up here.

[Steve] I'm pretty hopeful
about this.

I think it's gonna be
a good borehole.

The thing I like about
this one in particular:

we're gonna hit the western
side of the solution channel.

Another area where
the treasure might have dropped.

[narrator] A fresh morning
on Oak Island

brings renewed hope for
brothers Rick and Marty Lagina

that they will soon hold
in their hands the answers

to a 230-year-old mystery.

Let's face it, guys.
It's very exciting, right?

The reason we're drilling this
is because of the collapse.

- That's where it could've gone.
- Yep.

[narrator] The team is
drilling a new borehole

known as H-9.25,

located in an area
where new water testing

showed more evidence that
suggests the treasure may lie

some 200 feet deep
in the solution channel.

It is also in this region
that soil samples

are currently being tested
to confirm those results.

Tell me how close we are
to the key wells, RF-1, H-8.

[Steve] So, we're
five feet south of H-8.

That's very close to
the Chappell Shaft, then?

We are in the southwest corner
of the Chappell Shaft.

- So, we're in an area I like.
- Okay.

[Marty] I see lots of wood.

[narrator] In 2017,

the team dug the
five-foot diameter H-8 shaft.

[Mike] We're rotating down, but
every now and then, we have to

come up, clean our teeth out
because of the wood, right?

[narrator] And at 170 feet,
it hit a large object

that may have been
the legendary Chappell Vault...

a seven-foot-high wooden box
that treasure hunters

Frederick Blair and
William Chappell reportedly

drilled into back in 1897,

and extracted gold shavings,

along with a piece of parchment
bearing the letters "VI."

But unfortunately,
the H-8 caisson may have

pushed the possible vault
somewhere deeper

and potentially
into the solution channel.

Could it be possible
that the precious metals

the team detected in this area
came from the damaged vault?

I think the Chappells
had the Money Pit correct.

They just didn't go deep enough,
as we've learned, right?

Yeah, 'cause of the collapse.

And so, I'm pretty hopeful
about this.

I think it could be
a good borehole.

If I had to pick
the most likely hole

to actually encounter some of
this deeply fallen treasure,

I would think it's this.

[metallic clank]

Is he slipping?

[Marty] The biggest thing to me
is that the H-8 canister

started going down on its own.

Right about the point
where we were pretty excited

that we might be finding
the vault, the plug just fell.

We lost all the material.

Well, that sure sounds to me
like the solution channel

being able to swallow things up,
including treasure.

So we're gonna see
if we can find it.

You know what I'm looking for.

I want you to find
an actual bit of treasure.

- That's what I want to find.
- Exactly.

- And put the big boy down on it.
- Yep.

Yeah, all right, guys.

Seriously, I think
my work here is done.

- Yeah.
- Just find me some data

and a coin would be nice.

- Sounds good, Marty.
- Sound good?

- Sounds great.
- See you, guys. -Okay.

[narrator] As H-9.25 descends

deeper towards
the solution channel...

- [Billy] Today's the day, Gary.
- [Gary] Yeah.

- We're on Oak Island.
- Yep.

- The possibilities are endless.
- That's right.

[narrator] ...Alex Lagina
and members of the team

continue to expose
a stone feature

in the southwest corner
of the swamp,

one that may be connected
to a road-like structure

several yards to the north,

where they found
part of a European hand cannon

that could be
as much as 800 years old.

We're just gonna
comb through this

and work our way
closer into the swamp...

-[Alex] Got it. -...hopefully
find some artifacts.

And keep our eyes open.

You never know, we might find
some old wooden stakes.

I mean, one of the most
important artifacts we found

in this area was

-the ship's railing, which was
just over there. -Yeah.

I think that dated to the 600s?

Right. Okay, well, if you dig,
we'll metal-detect

and keep our eyes peeled
and see what we find.

- Yep.
- Let's find some artifacts.

[Rick] I couldn't enumerate
the number of finds

that have been made
in the bog to date.

They've been expansive
and extensive and important

in the search for answers
here on the island.

But there's a lot of
information missing.

- What do you got?
- [Gary] This is interesting.

A piece of shaped wood.

Kind of reminds me of when
we were digging in this area

and we found that ship's rail.

Oh, yeah.

[narrator] Over the years,
the team has found

numerous ship-related artifacts
all across the swamp

that have been dated
to between the 1600s

and the seventh century.

Huh. It's great condition,

but it's been buried
in the swamp for a long time.

[narrator] Could Gary be
correct that they have found

another piece of ship's railing
in the southwest corner?

If so, might it be related

to the stone structures
in this area

and help them learn more
about their origins?

- [Gary] It's kind of plank-ish.
- Mm-hmm.

And it looks like
it's curved and beveled.

Maybe I'm seeing things, but
kind of looks shaped like that.

This-this face really does.

I mean, that's cut.

And here as well.

Yeah, at first, I thought it
was, like, a piece of railing.

Yeah. No, it looks...

at first glance, it looks like

-it's shaped that way
deliberately. -Yeah. Yeah.

[Alex] We might be able
to show that to a shipwright,

somebody who knows the older
techniques of making a ship.

Yeah. I wonder if
it's big enough for C-14.

I like the fact that
this wood's got beveled edges.

Now, that always looks like

planking to me.

And that's important
because it's well out of place

buried in the swamp.

It's definitely
big enough for C-14.

-So, we can figure out
how old it is. -Yeah.

Definitely an interesting piece.
I'll put that to one side.

I still believe we're
just scratching the surface.

[narrator] As the dig
continues in the swamp,

several hundred yards
to the west on Lot 5...

[Isabelle] Found a small
shard of creamware.

[Ethan] Oh, nice.

It's really, really
small, though.

[Ethan] Yeah. Perfect.

[narrator] ...Laird Niven
and the archaeology team

search for more clues

in the round feature
near the shoreline.

After recently finding a sixth
Venetian bead in this feature,

which could be related
to the Knights of Malta,

and unearthing
a sixth Roman coin nearby

that may be linked
to the Knights Templar,

the team is working to prove
that numerous groups

may have occupied Lot 5
at different times

long before the discovery
of the Money Pit.

Oh, wow.

Got some pearlware.

- Oh, nice.
- Yeah.

- Again, small, but...
- Yeah.

We'll have to do more analysis
on this, I guess.

Yeah.

Uh, what are the dates
on the creamware again?

Uh, creamware starts
around 1762.

- Okay.
- And then the pearlware

would start around, uh, 1775.

Okay.

[Rick] I have long believed
that this is

a multigenerational attempt,

uh, over decades,
perhaps even centuries,

to hide or safeguard something.

I can't prove it... yet...

but the finds associated
with the Lot 5 feature,

they're very interesting

and thought-provoking
and intriguing.

[Ethan] Oh, nice.

What'd you find?

Looks like red earthenware.

Oh. It's got
a really nice design on it.

Wow. That's a great piece.

[Isabelle] It's a big piece.

Yeah, it's got
a really nice floral design.

[Isabelle] The coarse
earthenwares are hard to date.

It can be anywheres
from 1750 to 1830, so...

- Okay. Right in our time range.
- Yeah.

- Great find.
- Oh, thank you.

- You're welcome.
- I'll bag it up and see

- if there's any more in there.
- Yeah.

Oh, my gosh.

Laird. I think I just found
something really cool.

[Isabelle] Oh, my gosh. Laird.

I think I just found
something really cool.

Okay.

[narrator] While digging
in the rounded stone foundation

on Lot 5,

Isabelle Whittier
has just uncovered

a potentially important clue.

Check this out.

[Laird] Oh, nice.

Can you tell if this is a jewel?

It's meant to look like a jewel,
an imitation of a jewel.

- Okay.
- We found a larger one,

but clear, just over here.

It looked like costume jewelry.

Then we found out it's kind of
a technique that was developed

in the 1740s in France.

That's so cool.

Imitation jewelry
became very popular

with the French royal family.

- Oh, that's awesome.
- Yeah.

[narrator] In the early


French jeweler
Georg Friedrich Strass

invented simulated gemstones.

By mixing elements such as
bismuth, thallium and lead

with glass powder,

a paste-like substance
was formed.

It was then heated and molded
to create artificial stones,

nearly matching
the brilliance of actual gems.

One year ago, the team found
a simulated diamond

just outside
of the round feature.

[Isabelle] Would this
be valuable?

[Laird] I think
back in the mid 1700s,

it probably was.

[narrator] If Laird is correct
that this is a similar artifact,

could it be another clue to
help identify one of the groups

that occupied
the stone foundation

prior to 1795?

Emma can actually XRF the side

and tell you what kind of metal
it was sitting in.

So, we know that it was
set into something

and displayed
on someone's clothes.

If she finds out that
it's set in silver or gold,

-that just takes us to
a whole new level, right? -Yeah.

Just... it just adds
a lot of significance

- to this little tiny artifact.
- Yeah.

[Laird] Adding to the intrigue.

-[chuckles] -Yeah,
that's-that's really exciting.

I can't wait
to get that back to the lab

and see what Emma says about it.

- Me, too.
- That's cool.

We're finding
some neat stuff here.

Yeah.

[narrator]
The following morning...

[Billy] Back again?

[Katya] It's good to see you.
Good to be back.

- You know I love the swamp.
- Yeah.

- Let's get started.
- All right.

[narrator] ...Katya Drayton
and Derek Couch

join Billy to search
for more artifacts

near the stone feature

in the southwest corner
of the swamp.

[Billy] Something shiny
on top there.

-Might be a piece of glass
or something, right? -Oh, yeah.

Right there?

- Big ol' piece of glass.
- Yeah.

[Katya] So, a really great way
to tell if glass is old or not

is any imperfections.

Glass nowadays
is made manufactured.

There's hardly
any imperfections.

Bubbles, seams,

anything that may give you
an idea if it's

handblown is a great way to
identify if glass is old or not.

This is probably from a bottle.

This would be like an older...

maybe like
a medicine bottle or something.

It's square on the edge,

so that's how you know
it, like, has some date to it.

And it's small as well,
so this is an older piece.

- Which is good.
- Yeah.

By learning what type
of glass this is

and what it was used for,
we can see who was here

and what they were doing.

- We'll keep this.
- [Derek] Yeah.

- That's some wood.
- Here we go.

- A little round piece, Katya.
- [Katya] Let me see.

[Billy] That's cut there,
isn't it?

- [Katya] That cut?
- [Billy] Yeah, that's cut.

- [Katya] Wow. Good eye, Billy.
- Yeah, that's a great one.

It's really deep for wood.

Three and a half,
four feet probably.

That's way below that sand.

Dr. Spooner would say
that's the topsoil

before the swamp was formed.

That's down in the depth
of the ship's rail.

That's a find right there,
I would say.

How close are we to where the
other ship's railing was found?

Uh, less than a hundred feet.

It's one of the deepest finds
that we've had

in the swamp
of a piece of cut wood.

- This could mean something.
- Right.

[narrator] In 2020, the team
found a piece of ship's railing

while digging near the
southern border of the swamp.

Incredibly, it was carbon-dated

to as early as
the seventh century.

[Billy] There's been
a lot of people that thought

that there had been ships
in the swamp.

So, I think it could be
very significant.

[narrator] Is it possible
that the team has found

a related discovery in the
southwest corner of the swamp?

[Marty] If there's a ship
of some sort out there,

it would fit really, really well

to any of the theories

that somebody came here
and buried old-world treasure.

We have so many ship-like
artifacts at this point.

But extraordinary theories
take extraordinary data.

I don't think
we quite have that yet,

but here's another piece.

If this is a piece of a ship,

I bet you there's more
pieces of ship.

I'd rather find what the ship
is carrying, Derek,

so let's look for that, right?

That's true. That's true.

- That's why Katya's here.
- Right.

-Well, let's try and find
some more. -Yeah.

- Keep the lookers peeled.
- Yeah.

[narrator] As the search
in the swamp continues...

[Laird] So, thank you,
everybody, for coming.

We have a really interesting
artifact from Lot 5.

[narrator] ...in the lab,
Emma Culligan

is about to share her analysis
of the artificial gemstone

found one day ago on Lot 5.

This looks like
the-the paste jewelry gem.

That's exactly what it is.

So, this one's obviously dark.

And the one we found
last year was white,

- was clear.
- Mm-hmm.

And, I guess, you can
explain the composition.

Well, it's pretty much
the same thing as last year,

but this one is black,
and it's black due to

the addition
of manganese and calcium.

Um, and it has less lead in it,

which is why
it's not as brilliant.

So, it's not as shiny
or sparkly.

They're called diamantés,
like, as the official term.

The purpose of it is
to be dark and matte.

But it's the same era,
similar composition.

And the fastener, there's
a trace of tin around the edges,

which we also found
in the composition

of last year's jewel as well.

And something like that would've
been made in the Old World?

- Yep.
- Not here?

No. Early to mid 1700s
in France.

[Emma] And from the composition,
I can tell you that it is,

like, high-grade.

And it was for people
of the upper class.

- Mm-hmm. -Yeah.
- 'Cause it would have the same

amount of shine, or even
more shine, than the diamonds.

So, these are not
trade items per se?

[Laird] I think what makes it
not a trade item is

the fact that it was mounted.

If it was a trade item,
they'd be loose.

I see.

Just reading your report there,

no earlier than 1734
or no later?

[Emma] Well, the oldest
possible date's 1734,

'cause that's when it was
really being invented

- and introduced.
- Mm-hmm.

- So, after 1734?
- Yeah.

[Laird] Fashion travels quickly.

Especially with the upper class
and the new shiny thing.

When did it go out of style?

It went right into
the Victorian era.

But this high-quality,

represents probably
the initial phase

before it percolates down
and the cheaper copies are made

- for less affluent people.
- Mm-hmm. -Mm-hmm.

What's it telling you about
what was going on

- on Lot 5?
- [Rick] Yeah.

-Well, I think it makes
a statement about stature. -Mm.

I think this was, uh,
a higher class of people.

[Emma] So, with
the black paste jewel,

I have seen references
to military uniform.

Timeline-wise, it does fit the
Duc d'Anville's expedition here.

Mid 1700s, French.

[Rick] Very interesting.

Timeline-wise, it does fit the
Duc d'Anville's expedition here.

[narrator] In the
Oak Island lab,

Emma has just confirmed
that the simulated glass gem

found in the round feature
on Lot 5 is French in origin

and dates back
to the mid 18th century.

[Alex] You know,
the Duc d'Anville's expedition

was mid 1700s, French.

Um, something to keep in mind.

[narrator] In 1746,
France launched an armada

to reclaim Nova Scotia
from Great Britain.

It was led by an admiral
known as the Duc d'Anville,

a nobleman from
a family with connections

to the Knights Templar
dating back to the 12th century.

Unfortunately,
due to severe storms

and a wave of disease,
the mission ultimately failed.

I found eight pages of
what looks like a ship's log.

[narrator] But curiously,
in 2017,

Doug Crowell discovered
an 18th century ship's log

in the provincial archives

stating that
one of d'Anville's ships

carried a large cache
of treasure

to a wooded island
in the vicinity of Oak Island,

where the crew buried it
in a deep pit.

[Alex] This is, uh,
a very strong indicator

that somebody of high status
was on Lot 5.

We know that the Duc d'Anville
did come here to Nova Scotia,

and indeed
the d'Anville family has

a connection
to the Knights Templar.

If there was some,
uh, incredible treasure

out of history, uh, that made
its way here to North America,

it could've been done as part of
the Duc d'Anville's expedition.

[Craig] Finding these things
that belong to somebody

in a military position,
I wonder:

Why were they on the island?

What were they doing?

[narrator] Is it possible

that the two simulated
French gemstones found on Lot 5

could be connected
to the treasure

reportedly buried by
the crew of the Duc d'Anville?

The dots are very far apart
right now, right?

But we're accumulating them.

-But you're accumulating them.
Exactly. -Yeah.

[Rick] You know,
there's always been

the idea that,
uh, there might be

an association here
with Duc d'Anville.

The archaeological efforts
are strongly hinting at

multiple occupations on Lot 5,

from the 1200s
right up through 1750.

I believe this was
a multigenerational attempt

to hide something.

And perhaps the Duc d'Anville
was a part of that endeavor.

This is step by step,
clue by clue,

and every clue is important,

'cause at some point,
they will connect up.

-At some point, they will
tell a story, so... -Yeah.

[Rick] Thank you
for-for bringing us down.

It's a, it's an
interesting find,

but I hope we can learn
more about it.

- All right. -Yeah.
- All righty. -Thank you.

- Thank you.
- Thank you.

[narrator] As the team concludes

their meeting in the lab...

- [Billy] We got to keep looking.
- Let's do it.

[narrator] ...Billy, Katya
and Derek continue to search

in the southwest corner
of the swamp.

Ooh.

Wow.

I mean, look at that.

[Derek] That's excellent.

That is a cut stake
if I've ever seen one.

Yeah. It's so close to
the last find we just had.

[Katya] Oh, my god.

[Derek] That's pretty cool.
That's definitely cut.

Here.

-Guess you'll need a bigger bag
to put the stuff in. -[chuckles]

[laughs] Definitely.

I know it's soaked, but it's
a really heavy piece, too.

- [Katya] Mm-hmm.
- [Billy] Yeah, well, it's soaked

'cause we're below the level
of the ocean here, right?

It's so preserved
and basically clean, right?

Because it's in a perfect
environment to store wood.

Yeah.

[narrator] A hand-cut
wooden stake?

- [Rick] There's another one.
- [Gary] Geez.

What in the world is happening?

[narrator] Because
the team has found

a number of survey stakes
lining stone features,

such as the structure
that was recently uncovered

several yards to the north,

is it possible that they have
just discovered more evidence

that the two features may have
been built by the same people?

If so, just who was it?

We can get a lot of
information off that.

[Billy] I think so, yeah.

I'm sure there's
a purpose for that.

Just... that is definitely cut.
And so is the other one.

Yeah, it's a bigger piece.

- Right. Right.
- Bigger cut.

This gives Dr. Spooner
more information.

Yeah. We've got
some potential here.

I'm excited to keep going.

We'll work to keep the lab busy.

- Yeah.
- Yeah.

[narrator] As another day
dawns on Oak Island,

while drilling continues
in the Money Pit area...

- [Ian] Hey, Gary.
- [Gary] Hi, Ian.

- Derek.
- Hi, Dr. Spooner.

- How are you doing?
- Good.

[narrator] ...Dr. Ian Spooner
joins other members of the team

in the swamp to examine the area

where the wooden survey stakes
were found next to

the newly uncovered
stone structure, one day ago.

The stakes were


- They were in that peat layer.
- Yep.

[Billy] Which is quite deep
and just below the sand.

To be in that peat layer,
period, under that much sand,

we absolutely know people
were here a long, long time ago.

[Ian] So, if I can leave
with one suggestion,

what I'd like you guys to do,
if you can fit it in,

is get me a sample of the peat.

If I can date the peat here
and it's old, too,

then I know that the stick,
if it's younger,

was put there by people.

And, uh, if that stick dates
into one of our bins of 1200,

you know, 1700,
uh, then it tells us

there was activity
in this area at that time,

- which is totally new.
- Right.

[narrator] Peat is composed
of decaying plant matter

that forms when it is
submerged under brackish water

for long periods of time.

Because the wooden stake
the team found was embedded

in the peat layer just beneath
the stone structure,

if Dr. Spooner can date
the peat, he may be able

to determine just when
the stone feature was created.

We've had these sort of three
age sort of categories here,

one that's 600 to like 1200,
you know, that-that era.

And then we have the 1600s,
you know, to the 1700s.

- Yeah.
- Uh, and then we have

the more, sort of, I call
post-depositor kind of era.

So, we got
three kind of categories

of potential
human activity here,

and I want to see
where that fits.

Right.

[narrator] By dating
organic materials

associated with the man-made
structures in the swamp,

Dr. Spooner has determined that
the paved area near the center

could be as much as


The possible
Portuguese stone road

in the southeastern corner
may be 500 years old.

And the so-called
Eye of the Swamp

may have been built
as early as 1680.

And there's been
some nice, big clumps

of peat coming up in the digs,
especially over there,

where there is sand as well,

so I'll save you a big clump
of peat with all the wood in it.

That-That's perfect.
That's what I need.

[Rick] I think
that the carbon-dating

of the wood in the swamp,

the work that was done, the
discoveries that have been made,

can only lead to one conclusion:
that the work was

long, involved and purposeful.

To me, what it says is

this was a multigenerational
endeavor here,

and there's possibly
more than one treasure

hidden across the island.

-Okay. So, I'm off to lab.
Thanks, guys. -Bye, mate.

-We can't wait to hear
your results. -[Ian] Yep.

- Thank you.
- Thanks.

See you later.

[narrator] As the dig
continues in the swamp...

[Terry] We did hit
the bedrock plateau.

Hopefully, we'll go right down
into the solution channel,

could be in the next run.

We have a core, gentlemen.

[narrator] ...over in
the Money Pit area,

the drilling operation
in borehole H-9.25

has nearly reached
a depth of 200 feet.

H-9.25's still got
a few things to tell us.

Hopefully, we'll get
to find that open area

-that could've taken
the treasure. -Yep.

[Rick] Given
its proximity to H-8,

there's every reason
to believe that

we are in the area
of the original Money Pit.

Remember, we are in the area

where something
significant happened.

That's some very loose
material right there.

This must be
the solution channel.

[Rick] We lost
the so-called vault in H-8.

Where did it go?

And we believe it went
to the solution channel.

That's the perfect
targeted zone.

The hope is that there'll be
something in the core.

A man-made something.

- [Terry] Adam, what do you got?
- [Adam] Two...

- 212. Yeah.
- 212?

This is promising-looking
stuff, really.

- Yeah, it's gooey.
- Very gooey and loose.

Bring her in.

Yeah, this is the loose material
we're looking for

right here, guys.

-[Scott] There's the conditions
we need right there. -Yep.

[Scott] That has the ability
to hide treasure.

A little messy.

All right, now we're starting
to get a look at it.


in front of us, guys.

This loose material
looks like it starts

at the 198 mark
and goes down to...

-probably be at 202,
would you say, Charles? -202.

We may have gotten
a little bit less recovery

going down through
the slurry as well.

- Sure.
- Yeah.

Well, less recovery
means there...

it was literally a void,
mostly water, I guess.

That's the good thing.

Now, this is cakey

and less likely to accept
a treasure down into it.

This stuff up here is,
of course, much looser.

And this is, this is the stuff
that really should be set aside.

-We'll send some off
to the lab, hopefully. -Yeah.

There you go, Charles.
See what you see.

This is the good stuff
right here,

as we move up along this one.

Got to find the one thing.

- [pinpointer beeping]
- I got something right in here.

- Okay.
- Interesting.

-I wonder... -Want to pull
some of that out, Terry?

That's okay.

- [pinpointer beeping]
- Yep.

- I'm getting a hit right there.
- [chuckles] Here.

- This is tough stuff...
- Yep, right in there.

Tough stuff to work with,
let me tell you.

-Come over here so you don't
lose it. -Yep. -Yeah.

- All right, there you go. Yeah.
- Fresh area here.

Not there.

- [Terry] Not there?
- [Charles] Nope.

- [pinpointer beeping]
- There we go. -Oh, there it is.

[Charles] There it is
right there.

- [pinpointer beeping]
- There it is right there.

I'm getting chirps right here.
Just right in there.

You know, you get fooled
sometimes by

the-the screws in the table.

[Terry] Okay, let... we're gonna
have to bring this over, then.

-[pinpointer beeping] -Yeah,
it's there. -It's in there.

Yeah, put it right on the table.

[narrator] In the Money Pit
area, the team is detecting

traces of metal
in a drilling core

recovered from
more than 200 feet deep

in the solution channel.

- [pinpointer beeping]
- Nope, it's in here.

[pinpointer beeping]

-Now dump that over in
a different pile, so... -Yeah.

[Scott] That's weird.

- [pinpointer beeping]
- Oh.

What's that?

- It's on your... It-It's on you.
- Oh.

[Charles] Yep, it's on me
right there.

I wonder if this is the same
thing that we're getting before.

-Yeah. [stammering] -You know?
The little, the little flecks.

-Yeah. -Yeah, this is
a real conundrum here.

[narrator] The team is
frustrated to once again

detect signs of metal
in their drill core

but then recover no objects.

However, could these hits
also mean that they are

once again detecting
metal flecks in the soil

and are getting even closer
to a long-lost treasure

that now lies somewhere nearby
in the solution channel?

I know Marty was really
interested in this last time,

wh-when this occurred,
so we probably

- should get him involved here.
- Sounds good.

[line ringing]

Hey, Marty. How are you?

I'm here in the Money Pit
with Charles and Terry,

and we have
another interesting core.

Right around 198
all the way down to 208,

we had some
very, very soupy material.

And we had ambiguous hits
with the, uh, metal detector.

It would, it would beep and
go off and seem to be detected,

and then we couldn't find it
in the mud.

- Correct?
- Yep.

It's in the right area,
the right depth,

the right conditions.

You know, there's no coins
staring at us,

but who knows
what to expect, right?

[Marty] The pinpointer hits,
the preliminary indication

of metals at the base
of the solution channel

could be an indicator
that we are in the right spot.

We're hoping that this is
something that eroded

from a treasure
that's very close by.

Maybe it's coming from
the Chappell Vault,

if it's really there.

We're gonna take all of this
and set it aside, Marty,

and we're gonna be sure we do
a good analysis of all of it.

Yeah.

[Marty] It needs
to go to the lab.

The sediments,
carefully analyzed,

could yield bits
of precious metals:

silver, gold perhaps.

Look, this is
what we're looking for:

something from the scientific
reconnaissance data

to tell us where to go
to actually find the treasure.

We're bagging the whole thing,
for sure, Marty. No question.

We'll keep you informed
as we go. Talk to you soon.

[narrator] Later that day...

Okay, mate. I'm hoping
we can find something

to help the archaeologists
understand what the heck went on

in that round feature
and the rectangular feature.

[Rick] Works for me.

[narrator] ...after
the discovery

of the 18th century
simulated gemstone...

All right.
Let's find some artifacts.

- [metal detector beeps]
- Cool.

[narrator] ...Rick and Gary
search through

spoils that were removed from
the round feature on Lot 5.

[Gary] Come on, give a signal.

[metal detector beeping]

Here we go, mate.
We're in business.

Nonferrous artifact just there.

I don't think
we got to dig very deep.

It's gonna be
in those surface layers.

[metal detector beeping]

That sounds really good.

Let me see
what we have got here.

[pinpointer beeps]

[pinpointer beeping]

[pinpointer beeping]

This is my favorite part.

[pinpointer beeping]

Ooh. A bit of roundness.

- Look how little that is.
- Oh, yeah.

[Gary] That's a tiny
little cuff button.

Look at how little
that is, mate.

- Tiny.
- Yeah.

But you can definitely see
it's got a tiny little loop

- on the back.
- A little knob there.

[narrator] Could this
small button be related to

the artificial gemstones found
in and near the round feature?

If so, might it help
identify one of the groups

who occupied Lot 5 before
the discovery of the Money Pit?

[Gary] It could be
like a little,

kind of like
a decorative button, say,

off a lapel
or something like this.

Definitely copper alloy
by the sound of it.

Another nice little artifact

for Emma to hopefully
shine some light on.

I think, at this point,

we always talk about
grouping artifacts.

-The archaeologists should
group the buttons. -Yeah.

And then maybe catalog them
and give them

to a button expert, say,
who can say,

"This, stylistically,
this represents this era.

Stylistically,
this represents this era."

- It's not just a button anymore.
- No.

It's a, it's a piece of data.

-It's a piece of history,
I should say. -Yeah, it is.

Okay, I'll put it in the bag.

And we'll keep gridding.

[metal detector beeping]

Yeah, we got
a good hit here, Rick.

- Really good hit.
- [grunts]

Shovel it or...?

I'll try pinpointing it first.

Sounds like a great hit.
That's nonferrous, mate.

That is not a nail.

[pinpointer beeping]

[pinpointer beeping]

- It's in my hand.
- Oh.

Ooh-hoo! What have we got here?!

-[Gary] Ooh-hoo! What have we
got here?! -[pinpointer beeping]

I know what that is.

[narrator] While searching
spoils removed from

the round feature on Lot 5...

[Rick] What is it?
It looks like a stone.

[Gary] No, it is
not a stone, mate.

[narrator] ...Rick
and Gary have found

another potentially
important clue.

I think what we have found,
Rick, is something

really, really special
and unique.

That is a folded over coin.

Really?

That's a copper coin
that's been folded over.

Look, you can see
the shape of it.

Never heard of such a thing.

I have, but not
in North America,

because I have found
these types of artifacts

in Europe
before metal detecting.

- [Rick] Really?
- [Gary] Yeah.

Normally, when you find
something made of

copper, silver or gold
and it's completely folded over,

I believe this is a talisman,
uh, to ward off bad things.

Somebody would fold
this piece of metal over,

and they would put it in
the ground to ward off bad luck.

When would that, kind of,
ritual be prevalent?



- Really?
- Yeah.

[narrator] The ritual
of folding coins

as symbols of good luck

or an appeal for
God's protection

dates as far back as
the times of Ancient Rome.

However, this practice
was prevalent

throughout Europe between
the 12th and 18th centuries.

[Gary] It's more than likely


That would be
the right time frame for Lot 5.

Oh, yeah.

[narrator] Is it possible
that this folded coin

was left in the rounded feature
on Lot 5 by someone who wanted

spiritual protection
for themselves?

Or perhaps for something
they brought to Oak Island?

If so, could it be related
to the artifacts found here

that have been linked
to the religious orders

of the Knights of Malta
and the Knights Templar?

The real story here is:

Why a folded coin?

What was truly happening
on Lot 5?

If that is a coin, you just
don't throw money away, right?

- No.
- You just don't do that.

You do it for a reason.
That's intentional.

- Right?
- Yeah.

If you think about it,
back even in the 16, 1700s,

or way beyond there,
those people had

a different understanding
of the world.

And so,
they did things like this.

[Rick] I have always believed,
as have many others,

that the work that was done
on Oak Island was meant

to protect something
outside of temporal wealth.

I think what was put here was
meant to advance something,

an idea, a belief, a concept,

something of either
significant historical value

or religious value.

You know, this island
has resisted efforts

to find the treasure
for 230 years.

There's something
on this island,

and I believe
whatever was here is still here.

Look at that. Well done, mate.

This is absolutely
fantastic, mate.

A first for Oak Island.

Absolutely.
Never seen anything like it.

Didn't know the tradition.

That is a clue as to what
may have happened over there,

-at least part of the story of
what happened over there. -Yeah.

[Rick] I'm sure it will find
a safe home.

Oh, yeah. I know where
this little beauty's going.

And I'm gonna bypass the bag.

-But this is going straight
in the top pocket. -Top pocket.

[Gary] That's
absolutely fantastic.

And we're gonna show it
to our favorite lady

at the lab, Emma,
and we'll find out what this is.

- I want to know, mate.
- [laughs]

- Let's get back to the lab.
- Okay.

- Okay.
- Cool.

[narrator] After uncovering new
evidence of man-made workings

in the swamp and traces
of metal in the Money Pit,

an artifact surfaces

that may be related to
the struggles many have faced

in trying to solve this mystery
for more than 200 years.

Was a treasure of
profound religious value

really brought to Oak Island
over the course of centuries

by people who were
all deeply devoted

to ensuring that
it would never be found?

And could it actually
be protected

by supernatural forces?

The Laginas and their team
won't stop digging

until they know the truth.

But just what must they endure
to find it?

Next time on
The Curse of Oak Island...

- [Katya] Oh, wow.
- [Derek] What is that?

[Katya] That's exactly like

the stakes
we found near the vault.

[Rick] I truly believe there's
still another vault there.

- [Adam] Whoa, whoa, whoa.
- [Terry] There it is. The void.

- [Charles] That's right.
- Is that natural

or is that an open cavern?

Only a sonar
can tell you that, really.

All right.
Well, that's what we'll do.

-Hopefully we'll find the one
thing. -Cross your fingers.

- We're in the cavity.
- [Terry] Yep, you're in.

[Rick] We'd love
nothing better than to see

- a man-made cavern or vault.
- [Ken] We've got an opening.

This is not natural.