Gary’s Top 5 SHOCKING Finds | The Curse of Oak Island

NARRATOR: A new day begins on Oak Island. Rick Lagina and metal detection expert Gary Drayton are taking advantage of an all too rare moment of free time to explore an area of Smith’s Cove.

So much work has been done down here. Between Dan and rest stalls, every company that came out tried to figure out what was going on with the salt water and the money pit.

GARY DRAYTON: I mean, this is an ideal situation, Rick, because, obviously, it’s low tide. We got these rock pools. So if anything got washed in and out of here, it’s going to get trapped in these rocks. This is an ideal situation.

RICK LAGINA: So you’re thinking between the beach and the old copper dams, this is the perfect spot. So let’s see if we can find something.

RICK LAGINA: When Gary decides he wants to investigate an area, I defer to him. He has an incredible amount of experience. And the beach is fascinating. The intertidal zone, maybe the ground in Smith’s Cove has been disturbed enough that maybe something has come close to the surface. What we’ll do– we’ll go up and down in this little area here, work away towards the rock.

RICK LAGINA: OK. [beeping] [siren] [inaudible] on here, Rick. It’s good depth. It’s saying 10 inches. [music playing] Whoa– whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa. Let me see this. I see so, mate. [music playing] Holy. Holy, shamoly, all right. It’s a cross.

GARY DRAYTON: That’s a cross. Is it square all? Yeah, right there. It’s heavy too. Oh, my gosh. I mean, that is an old, old cross.

NARRATOR: A cross located in the same area where the team found French drains at Smith’s Cove. But how did it get there? And how long did it lie buried?

RICK LAGINA: Gary was extremely excited– more excited than anything he’s ever found in the island. And then mind, you know. This year, he’s found coins from the late 1600s. Those finds pale in comparison to this one in terms of his excitement level. So I’m excited because Gary’s excited. And that’s the truth of it.

It looks like it’s lead. RICK LAGINA: How old? Look at that. How old? That is it– oh, my gosh. That is– that’s really old.

RICK LAGINA: How old?

GARY DRAYTON: This is the type of thing I’d expect to find in Europe. So I thought that looks like medieval– a medieval cross. I mean, you know, I mean, this is old. This is really old.

I don’t, Gary. I hear it in your voice. But I don’t. How old?

GARY DRAYTON: I would say that is somewhere in between 1200 and 1600.

RICK LAGINA: What makes you say that? Because I– Just the crudeness of it and the style. I mean, you don’t normally see this kind of style. If that cross turns out to be between 1200 and 1600, I’ll become more convinced that, no, something did happen here. Something significant pretty money to pet discovery. So it’s a big deal for me. Look, it’s very curious. It’s singularly out of place. There’s no question about that. It’s all the more reason to follow wherever the search leads– wherever the information trail leads regarding that cross. Everybody but everybody came here looking for treasure. You come, and you find something, possibly even predating original depositors. That makes it all the more imperative that we try to figure out what that is. I think it makes it almost a foregone conclusion we have to get back out there. Yeah, that’s what I think. Quite a day. [slap] That was fantastic. That was– huh. [music playing]

GARY DRAYTON: [inaudible],, Billy?

BILLY GERHARDT: Yep. I’m ready for a [inaudible] Gary. Oh, long overdue. [suspenseful music] [beeping] Ooh, good target. That sounds fantastic. Yeah, Billy, you might want to come and say this, mate. This sounds really, really good. Let’s see. [beeping] Yep. This could be what we’re looking for, a clear, two-way repeatable signal, sounds like a coin. Definitely got something here, mate.

BILLY GERHARDT: I hope so. [fast beeping] Now I’m getting a rapid vibration. This is iron. I think there it is, Billy. Oh, I can feel it. Look at that. It’s an [inaudible], Gary.

GARY DRAYTON: This is really old. I wonder if this is one of the ring bolts. This is fantastic. Yeah, it looks like a ring bolt. We could have found a ring bolt, mate. I’ve always wanted to see what one of these looked like. This was probably in a boulder in this area. And you could just tell the weight of this. This is hand-forged, a piece of Oak Island history.

NARRATOR: After purchasing eight lots across the middle of Oak Island in the 1960s, Fred Nolan, who was a surveyor by trade, mapped his entire property, taking note of numerous man-made markers, such as the megalithic boulder formation now known as Nolan’s Cross. He also discovered three iron ring bolts embedded in large rocks. It was Fred’s suspicion that these ring bolts had been used to anchor a treasure galleon on what is now the eastern edge of the man-made swamp so that its precious cargo could be unloaded. Is it possible that Gary has found another such ring bolt?

RICK LAGINA: I always used to judge the quality of the find based on Gary’s Cheshire cat grin. [laughter] I just wish I had a bigger top pocket.

RICK LAGINA: Wow. [laughter]

GARY DRAYTON: Oh, wow, indeed.

RICK LAGINA: That is incredible. Where did you find that?

Just here, in situ. It’s amazing.

GARY DRAYTON: Yeah.

RICK LAGINA: Laird, what do you make of it?

LAIRD NIVEN: I mean, it’s old.

RICK LAGINA: Yeah, you can tell.

BILLY GERHARDT: Yeah.

GARY DRAYTON: It’s definitely pre- [inaudible]..

RICK LAGINA: I have no problem with it in the 18th century. It’s well-made. Be interesting to see where this turns. Right. Yeah. That’s for sure. I know that my brother’s a proponent of you dig, you find something.

Yeah.

Well, you dug, and you found something.

Yeah. So let me see if he’s available. [phone ringing]

MARTY LAGINA (ON PHONE): Hello? Yeah, you know, we’re out here in the swamp. Hang on one second. How you doing, Marty? We’ve just made a heck of a discovery. We have found one of the ring bolts, the famous ring bolts. And it is magnificent.

GARY DRAYTON: Oh, it’s hand-forged. This is a nice, old piece of iron. Even Laird’s going back into the 18th century. Actually, the next person I’d like to have a look at it is Tom. Yep. Yeah, yeah, potentially. Yep. You’re welcome. Cheers, mate. Thanks. Good find. Great find.

RICK LAGINA: This swamp, it continues to be the keeper of secrets. Will we be able to unravel or to come to an understanding of what those secrets are and how relevant they are to the money pit work, or the money pit story? I don’t know, that’s yet to be determined. But get down and dirty every day, you’ll eventually figure it out. Beautiful piece of iron. And maybe it has a story to tell. Yep. Great day, everybody. Yep. Thank you.

GARY DRAYTON: We just got to keep digging in the swamp. [music playing] I think we just go right in here. Yeah.

NARRATOR: Rick Lagina and metal detection expert Gary Drayton– Start right here, actually.

NARRATOR: –continue their ongoing search for important clues. This time, on Lot 21.

Well, this is 21. And we’ve never been in here before. You got the McGinnis Foundation over there. Let’s see what we find. All right. Let’s go, [inaudible]. Let’s go.

NARRATOR: Shortly after Daniel McGinnis and two of his friends discovered the Money Pit in 1795, the young man moved to Oak Island and built a home. Here, he lived for the remainder of his life, farming, raising a family, and searching for treasure. Three years ago, while visiting the island, three of Daniel McGinnis’s direct descendants shared an incredible story with Rick, Marty, and the team.

Now, I’ve been told they found three treasure chests. And what is in this box is one of the things that came from that chest.

NARRATOR: A log with an amazing object– Oh, my goodness.

NARRATOR: –that Daniel reportedly found some 30 feet deep in the Money Pit. Wow.

NARRATOR: Although the remains of Daniel McGinnis’s house were removed more than a century ago, the rock foundation remains as a protected historical site. Because of this, Rick and Gary are careful not to disturb any areas within 100 feet of the foundation in hopes their search of the surrounding ground will yield important information.

[beeping] It’s only reading three or four inches. [beeping] We’re getting readings over here as well. Oh, look at that. Is that an oldie? I don’t know. That looks old. Let’s have a look and see if I see any screw [inaudible] I can– these are old screws. So we’ve got an in. We need the chest. The chest. And that’s how it is on Oak Island. A lot of times, once you find one or two good things, you find a lot of things in the same area. Oh, come on, just one more nice little signal around here. What we need to do is just circle this area– Yeah. –a couple times. [beeping] Well, that doesn’t sound too bad. Is this a– [beeping] You never, ever know what’s going to come out your next hole. What do I always say? Just win, baby. Change your whole day. Here we go. [beeping] It’s still sounding good, still looking good. Oh, my gosh. It’s another bobby-dazzler. Look, that’s a stone. It’s a brooch. That’s a bloody brooch. Look at that. That’s a gem. That’s red too.

NARRATOR: A jeweled brooch found on the western side of Oak Island and nearly a mile from the Money Pit? It’s heavy. You gotta feel it. We did it again. Feel the weight on that compared to the other one. Oh, look at that. Isn’t that much heavier?

NARRATOR: Could it be related to the one discovered last year on Lot 8, which not only contained a semi-precious jewel, but which might also date as far back as the 16th century?

Gary reached in, and there it is, the brooch. And you know, it’s a holy-schmoly moment for Gary. Wow. And it is for me too. It was hard not to get excited. Because if it predates searcher activity, it’s absolutely an excellent find. Look at that. That’s– That’s some sort of ornament there, some sort of ornament there. I mean, a lot of work went into that. That’s why I’m thinking this could be special. I just think that how ornate it is is going to tell us something. It’s beautiful. That is unbelievable. The brooch brothers are back, lucky diggers. Right, you know what? Top pocket find. Top pocket find. Just make sure you zip it up. [music playing]

MAN: All right.

MAN 2: It’s somewhere around there.

MAN: Let’s start getting it out of there.

[detector beeping] Oh, yeah. Oh, look at that. That’s nice.

NARRATOR: While searching for a mysterious metal object in the Oak Island Swamp veteran treasure hunter Gary Drayton has discovered something unusual buried in the mud.

GARY DRAYTON: That is old. It’s a man-made spike.

MAN 2: That’s pretty good.

• Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. That is cool. This type of nail was specifically made for– for putting decks down– thick decking on the old boats. You see the size of the head? That was so the planks couldn’t come up.

Well, the board that Tony found in the south part of the swamp looked like decking. It probably is.

JACK BEGLEY: It was very long and didn’t seem even close to thick enough to be a part of the outside of the ship–

• Yeah.

–the hull.

If you guys have found some like wooden decking, this is exactly the type of man-made nail that they would have put in to decking– to hold decking down. Look at it. And then it’s– Yeah. That’s a beautiful thing. Now does this