Rick Lagina: I Have Found Something That Will Lead Me To The Treasure On Oak Island

Gold and silver has finally been found on Oak Island. The Lagina crew’s hard work has finally paid off. But it leaves one big question: are these findings part of the legendary treasure, or is Oak Island—known for its hidden riches—about to reveal a golden mystery that could change the Lagina crew’s lives forever?

Let’s dive in and find out.

It isn’t pure silver, but it does have a bit of lead content. They only left these elements in because they show up really well on scans.

What you’re looking at here is a William III shilling—silver, same diameter, and it matches the design perfectly. That’s a pretty significant find.

It was only when the crew partnered with Dumas Contracting Limited that they began to rebuild the centuries-old Garden Shaft, believed to be the original depository of the long-lost treasure.

There were solid reasons to believe that the treasure could be at the bottom of this shaft. First, they had discovered a collapsed secret tunnel just below the shaft. And second, this mysterious tunnel was running west toward the area known as the “Baby Blob.”

The Baby Blob is a spot that tested extremely high for traces of gold, silver, and other metals. So the next logical step for the team was to begin horizontal probe drilling. They hoped this would finally point them to the treasure’s exact location.

But instead, they triggered a leak of ocean water, forcing them out of the tunnel. It became clear that they had fallen into an ancient trap—one of the many booby traps littering this island. All their work up to that point was destroyed.

They believe they hit the flood tunnel system. And even though this was a major setback, it also confirmed something huge: the science and the traps together now offer real proof that the legends surrounding Oak Island might actually be true.

The big goal now is to recover solid pieces of the shaft so they can run dendrochronology on it—tree ring dating—which will give them an accurate age for the structure.

The speed and volume of the flooding in the Garden Shaft, they concluded, could only have been caused deliberately—designed to stop treasure hunters before they could reach what lies beneath.

Jack points out that things have started changing all across the island. Their first stop is Lot 5, where they have uncovered a variety of new discoveries and clues.

They found ancient structures no one even knew existed and artifacts dated from as far back as the 1200s all the way to the 1700s. There have even been coins and tokens uncovered in the area.

What’s fascinating about these finds is how they keep getting more interesting over time. So now they’ve got Laird and his team focused on working that area.

And with so much evidence pointing to treasure in the Money Pit, the crew has widened their search across the island, looking for clues to who might have built this whole mystery.

The western portion of the island could hold the answers.

Lot 5, a 4-acre piece of land, was purchased a few years ago by Rick, Marty, and Craig from the estate of Robert Young. And ever since, it’s been a hotbed for new discoveries.

All of this has led the team to a list of new suspects—people who might have left the traps, the secrets, and the treasure buried on the island.

One of the suspects left behind four Roman coins that date back nearly 2,000 years. The team confirms their authenticity—clearly Roman in design. These aren’t just old coins—they’re absolute proof that someone with Roman origins might have been on the island long before anyone imagined.

They also discovered an old barter token that they’ve connected to the lead cross found in Smith’s Cove back in 2017—a cross that has long been associated with the Knights Templar.

On top of that, iron tools have been found that link back to Sir William Phips, a 17th-century English politician. This connection sparked speculation that a full chest of Spanish silver could be buried somewhere in the Money Pit.

These discoveries were made near stone foundations—one rectangular and the other rounded—located close to the shoreline.

The archaeologists have been hard at work uncovering a massive stone structure much larger than anyone had expected. The importance of these finds has earned the area a special designation which allows the team to excavate in a way that preserves the archaeological context of the items they find.

Through their careful work, they’ve been able to observe how the shape of the structure varies in size, curvature, and quality of construction. They’ve noticed that the newer sections have a very deliberate design, pointing toward a long-term project that may have spanned several generations.

The theory is that the people responsible for building the Money Pit might have lived in the area while constructing it.

Meanwhile, Gary and Peter head to Lot 5 to sift through the spoils collected around the big feature. Their plan involves using metal detectors to comb through more than 10 tons of material gathered from the shoreline of Lot 5.

What they find is a collection of items spanning centuries. Among them are 14th-century barter tokens, 17th-century tools, and materials that match substances discovered 100 feet deep inside the Money Pit.

Some of these materials also match findings from a site in Locust Coney, which had been linked to an 800-year-old cross.

Gary and Peter are determined to find something that can pinpoint when this mysterious structure was built—and why it exists.

After some careful searching, Gary finds a cut coin. If it turns out to be a Spanish coin, it could be made of silver. Gary examines it closely, noting that the cut is clean and intentional—exactly how coins were split in the past to make change.

This could potentially be a Spanish treasure coin. Back in the 18th century, European nations like Spain, England, and France were busy colonizing new lands and creating trade routes across the Americas. During that time, both the military and pirates were known to cut coins to pay their crews.

This discovery might point directly to that era—and possibly to treasure.

Knowing how significant this could be, Gary and Peter take the coin to the Oak Island lab. The Lagina brothers—Rick and Marty—are joined by Jack, Laird, and Emma to study the find.

Laird confirms right away that it’s a cut coin. Jack notices that it’s been quartered, while Emma prepares to run a CT scan to reveal more details. They use a SkyScan CT scanner to X-ray and magnify the coin into a three-dimensional model.

The initial scan only shows surface-level details, but a longer scan promises to reveal much more.

While they wait, the team decides to continue scanning the area for additional finds.

Soon after, Rick gathers the team for a meeting. Marty and Craig join them via video conference. The report on the silver coin has come in, and everyone is eager to hear what it reveals.

Emma explains that the detailed scan revealed faint engravings on one side of the coin, and the XRF map scan showed that the silver coin contains some lead. The XRF scanner uses beams of X-rays to detect elements by highlighting them in different colors on the object’s surface.

Based on these results, the coin is identified as an English shilling from the 1690s. You can even see the ponytail and the two small triangles—it’s actually a little ribbon. That’s a shocker.

The engraving marked “GV” and the design details on both sides match the markings found on a William III shilling. It also shares the same silver composition and diameter.

So while this coin isn’t a Spanish silver piece, it’s still incredibly significant. It proves that the area they were searching in—Lot 5—could have been occupied as far back as the 1600s.

Although the team is disappointed that the coin doesn’t support the Spanish treasure theory directly, it opens up a new line of thinking. Someone might have been working or hiding something in Lot 5—perhaps a soldier being paid for a service or someone guarding something more valuable.

This leads historian Doug Crowell to recall a book he once read about the British military attempting to recover treasure left by Sir William Phips on Oak Island.

The book, titled Oak Island and Its Treasures, tells a gripping story of a covert military operation that took place long ago. According to the book, Sir William Phips buried a vault of treasure in the Money Pit area. His English allies reportedly tried multiple times in the late 1600s to retrieve it, but all attempts failed.

If Doug is right, then this English shilling might be more than just a coin. It could be a link to those long-forgotten recovery missions. It could mean that the English military was, in fact, on Oak Island trying to retrieve the very treasure the crew is now chasing.

Combine that with the gold and silver particles found during water testing on the island, and the puzzle pieces start to align. The clues are stacking up, and they all seem to suggest the treasure is still here—buried deep, hidden well, but waiting to be found.

This discovery has raised the stakes for the Oak Island crew. Their work in Lot 5 now feels more crucial than ever. Each piece of evidence brings them one step closer to solving the centuries-old mystery, and for the first time, there’s a real sense that they are closer to answers than ever before.

Could this finally lead them to the treasure? All the clues suggest something huge lies beneath this island.

Rick Lagina has finally found a breakthrough on the mysteries of the infamous Oak Island. The team has just uncovered something so bizarre that it proves gold is truly here on this island. But did they actually find a hidden chest containing a map to the real treasure?

That’s their big question—and what follows might just have the answer.

Craig Tester, Steve Guptill, Alex Lagina, and the rest of the crew gather to launch their latest large-scale excavation. Their goal is to uncover what they believe to be the second shaft, buried over 100 feet deep and built during the early 18th century.

It’s believed this shaft lies just a few feet southeast of the original Money Pit. To investigate this possibility, they begin digging into what is considered to be the first-ever searcher shaft on Oak Island.

Their primary aim is to extract samples of the wooden structure for dendrochronology testing, which will allow them to determine the exact year the tree used to build the shaft was cut down.

According to Craig, if anything can tie them directly back to the original Money Pit, it would be Shaft 2. The rings within the wood will reveal its age. If they can match the date to around 1805, they’ll not only confirm the shaft’s identity but also get closer to the source of the precious metals they’ve been detecting in the area.

As they excavate, they pull out a large piece of wood that they suspect might have belonged to one of the long structural walls. The question is: does it really belong to Shaft 2?

Rick explains how critical the second shaft is—it’s like their Holy Grail. If confirmed, it brings them closer than ever to locating the Money Pit.

The wood they retrieve is round and thick. Craig notes that it appears to be from the outer section of the tree, which would be perfect for dating. They collect several wood samples just as Marty Lagina arrives on-site.

Using a mirror to reflect sunlight into the shaft, they get a better look inside. Marty is amazed at the level of engineering and hard labor the early searchers accomplished using such primitive tools—and how today’s team needs to think just as creatively to finally solve the mystery.

As Gary uses his metal detector to scan a fresh scoop of earth, he picks up a signal. Inside the dirt, he finds a well-preserved rose head spike. These types of spikes were commonly used in construction between the 1780s and mid-1880s, which could be a key clue linking the shaft to that time period.

They also spot numerous wooden boards lining the pit. Some beams are removed for examination. Rick observes a mix of old wood, some of which matches the period during which the second shaft was likely built.

If they can confirm the wood dates to the early 1800s, they may have just uncovered the first true discovery shaft on Oak Island—and an incredible milestone.

The excavation is challenging. The operator of the excavator is working with no direct visibility, guided only by Scott’s instructions as he scrapes along the shaft walls, hoping to retrieve more wood samples.

At one point, a promising sample slips from the bucket and disappears into the water below. But despite this setback, Billy, the excavator operator, succeeds in pulling out a massive wooden beam.

Gary immediately tests the beam for traces of metal using his detector. When there’s no signal, it’s actually a good sign—it suggests an older style of construction, likely built before the use of metal fasteners became widespread.

This might be the first searcher shaft ever found on Oak Island—at least the first they know of for sure.

The next question is whether someone reconstructed the top portion of Shaft 2 after it was originally built in 1805. If so, this might be the final clue they need to pinpoint the original Money Pit.

This entire area has now become a landmark in their search. This operation has been an incredible success.

Back at the Oak Island Research Center, Marty Lagina meets with members of the drilling team to align their strategies moving forward.

Marty emphasizes how his attention has been fixed on the metals previously detected in the island’s water. A few weeks earlier, scientists had analyzed samples and identified a specific area that continued to show high concentrations of metals like copper, lead, zinc, and tin.

Their focus narrows on a roughly 2,500 square foot section referred to as the “P Area.” Within this, Dr. Michelle and the team have identified a subsection they’ve dubbed “The Golden Egg.” This part consistently shows the most promising levels of metallic activity, and Marty is convinced it’s where their attention should be focused.

They decide this is the ideal spot to begin a new round of well drilling, hoping to uncover deeper clues as to what lies beneath.

The following morning, the team gathers on site prepared to begin their latest round of drilling in the Golden Egg zone. As the drilling progresses, they begin to see evidence that something unusual might be below.

At nearly 100 feet deep, Mike from Choice Drilling pulls up a core sample. While the top of the sample is soft and lacks any obvious wooden fragments, the absence of wood is seen as a positive sign—it suggests they are nearing the outer edge of a void or a structure rather than drilling through material that might fill it.

Marty feels strongly that if something man-made exists down there, this is the place they’ll find it.

Peter proposes that they collect water samples from the borehole for further metal analysis. They agree, and Dr. Spooner is called in to assist with the testing.

Later that same afternoon, Marty returns to the site after hearing they’ve made notable progress at the EN13 borehole within the Golden Egg. Just days prior, the team believed they were close to piercing a man-made structure at around the 100-foot mark.

This new sample is pulled from a neighboring area beneath the yellow cone marker and is compared to the one from EN13.

What grabs everyone’s attention are loud, unexpected booms that erupted from the borehole—lasting for over 30 seconds. These booming sounds lead to a new theory: they might have drilled near a large cavity. The sudden release of pressure and sound could mean they’ve broken through into an open space underground or that a part of their structure is collapsing.

Dr. Spooner suggests there is likely a significant void beneath them.

To further support this, Dr. Spooner collects a water sample that appears noticeably darker and yellow-tinted in the sunlight. He notes that this kind of water coloration often occurs when it flows near large amounts of buried wood, releasing organic matter and metallic traces.