At the start of a new season, the Oakilland team had been able to accomplish several of their goals despite the difficult challenges.

They have become closer than ever before to discovering the whereabouts of the hidden treasure.

During the journey, several artifacts and findings have been gathered to give clues to what happened on the island and unveil the mysteries centered around the mythical land.

Join us as we discuss 11 of the biggest, most important, and rarest finds of the Curse of Oak Island.

The beginning of the season was filled with help and excitement about what was to come.

The team was pumped with curiosity, goals, and how to achieve them. Fortunately, the week had much more in store than they hoped for — different and new exciting discoveries as well as furthering the steps confidently into the new season.

On Lot 5, the archaeology team led by Navin, Jaime Kuba, and Fiona Steel continued their task of excavating the mysterious area, and of course, the recently discovered circular stone depression that seems to contain much more detail than the rest of the explored area on Lot 5.

During the start of the excavation, the lead stated that the main goal was to expose the bottom of the feature, but he was in for a surprise at the rate at which new discoveries were made.

Sooner than expected, Fiona made the first discovery of the season and alerted Jaime of what was found amidst the debris and lumps of soil in the feature.

It was small pieces of red earthenware, which was used for storage and transport of goods and materials in North America and Europe during the 17th to 18th centuries.

After observing the earthenware, the lead stated that the glaze was unusual, with a hint of purple and black color on its surface.

However, what was more fascinating about the earthenware was that it was unrecognizable to the lead, who is an expert, giving a clue that the pieces found are from earlier times — at least the 1600s, which was before the discovery of the Money Pit.

Was there a chance that the circular depression was mistaken as the Money Pit and covered up so the treasure was protected from being found by searchers?

There is also a linked ongoing theory that the digging of the circular feature was prompted by the idea of it being the treasure spot.

Another indication is that the island was long ago inhabited by unknown dwellers before it was discovered in the 1940s and before it was divided into lots.

In less opinion, the only answers that can be collected are in the feature itself. The further down it is excavated, the older the artifacts are, and the more answers can be gotten.

Afterward, Rick, Marty, and Gary joined the team at Lot 5 and detected some evidence of iron in the circular feature.

Fiona made yet another discovery — a piece of pottery. This time the piece was difficult, much thicker than the former, and identified by the lead to be coarse earthenware, possibly older than the previously found pieces.

From the several spots that indicated the presence of iron, the lead carefully dug and found an iron artifact almost at the edge of the lumped and thick soil in the feature.

He alerted Marty of discovering the source of the previously found metal. After careful sorting and digging, the artifact seemed to take a much more identifiable shape.

After minutes of observing the artifact, Marty stated that he thought it was an iron latch, and the lead agreed that it belonged to either a cellar or a trap door.

If this is true, then it seems the Lot 5 circular feature has much more to hide than is perceived.

As the saying goes, if there is a latch, there is a hidden structure.

The unanswerable question remains: what is underneath the circular feature?

Marty, Rick, and Gary got more info on the iron latch by visiting the interpretive center to get an analysis from the lead and Emma.

After using a CT scanner, Emma was able to give a clear image of the artifact in its original state.

From Marty’s point of view, it bears semblance to a door knocker, especially considering its pointy tail.

Also, its structure gives a clue of its purpose, which Marty stated must have been driven into an object and meant to be a permanent part, though it broke off due to soil activities, rusting, and aging.

On closer observation, the top of the latch seemed to have a flattened surface unlike its pointy end, indicating it was indeed hit, possibly by a hammer or even a stone, and driven into a structure.

According to expert opinion, the artifact seemed to be a rivet or spike used for multiple purposes. Emma reported that the artifact had a high quantity of iron and no manganese, indicating it predates 1840.

What stands out even more is its difference when compared to other artifacts found on the island. There are no matches, but it does have a 100% match with artifacts recovered from the site of the original depositor of the hidden treasure, Sarah William Fipps.

Considering the analysis result, it is safe to assume that the latch was a personal belonging of Sir Fipps.

However, the mystery now is the reason why it was found in Lot 5 and who buried it in the circular depression.

Still on the hotspot, Lot 5, a few yards away from the circular feature, Rick and Gary resumed the operation of what they do best — metal detection.

Starting from the metal magnet to areas marked by flags, after getting a strong signal of metal presence, Rick carefully dug out the spot and they both realized the artifact they expected to find was very small in size.

Soon enough, amongst the debris in his hand, there was a fascinating discovery — an ancient coin, most likely of Roman origin, which, based on the drawing and observation, seemed to have been hand-hammered.

The next flagged spot also gave a satisfactory signal, and when carefully dug out, they were both excited to discover another ancient coin.

The new coin was also hand-hammered, but thicker, weighed more, and had a design on its top. On closer look, the woven design seemed like chain links and is likely culturally originated.

After further digging, it seemed that part of Lot 5 was either raining or growing coins because a third coin was found a few minutes after in a flagged spot.

When studied, Gary stated that the third coin had the same ear pattern as the other two and that the coin was possibly older than the rest.

Later in the day, the team went back to take their chance on finding another coin or important artifact. Amazingly, a fourth coin was found.

It is the same size as others and also ancient. However, what differentiates it is the design at its top.

What is it about Lot 5 that makes it enriched with artifacts and treasures? Is there an explanation for the several coins found in all of Lot 5?

Perhaps it was a route used to transport hidden treasures to the Money Pit, and some of the found coins fell during the movement.

At the interpretive center, Marty, Rick, Craig, and Gary awaited the analysis of the newly found coins.

In an attempt to explore the swamp, the team’s resident diver Tony was accompanied by Alex, Jack, Roth, and the rest of his team.

Underwater, after fanning debris off the potential artifact, it was revealed to be a piece of hand-carved timber, a piece of pottery with blue markings, and a sailor’s clay pipe stem.

Is there a chance that connects the artifacts in the swamp to those found on Lot 5 because they seem to have similar features?

According to Alex, it seems this part of the swamp was a depositor site buried by water over the years.

Moving closer to the underwater boulder, Tony found a metal detector hit and, repeating the pattern of fanning, he found a round metal object with a circular hole in the middle and identified it as a potential coin similar to the ancient coin previously found.

After more observation, he stated that it could also be a disc of some sort. Until it is retrieved, there is no confirmation of what it is.

Tony also stated that the artifacts found are very similar to those found on land, and there is a possibility of it being part of a shipwreck or brought into the island by visitors or traders.

Carefully digging through the circular feature on Lot 5, after numerous rocks were removed, Haime, assigned to a portion where a particularly big rock was previously removed, dug and hit something she considered very important.

She alerted the resto team about what could be the biggest artifact discovery in Lot 5’s circular feature.

After careful digging, she was able to remove a very large and wide piece of pottery from the hole.

After several moments of observation, the lead concluded that it was coarse earthenware, popularly known as Anglo-American ware.

He stated that the large piece most likely originated from England or Pennsylvania and, based on its look, was a large cooking vessel.

When inquired about its state of creation, the lead expressed his belief that it was made in the second half of the 1700s, most likely the 1770s.

The creation of the pottery predates the discovery of the Money Pit, giving a possible clue about who brought it onto the island.

Was the piece of pottery a cooking vessel for those who created the circular feature, or by those who dwelled on Lot 5?

There is also a possibility that the feature might have been found on Lot 5 and scattered over the structure to give the feature an illusion of being regular ground or an area affected by soil activities.

Continuing to explore other areas of Lot 5, aside from the circular feature and about 100 yards away, the team’s best metal detection duo, Rick and Gary, went on an operation to find pieces of fine artifacts that might have been buried in the area where those coins were previously recovered.

From Rick’s perspective, discoveries on Lot 5 are never finished, and the area seems to remain mysterious despite the excavation, research, and observation conducted over the years.

One of the most unique things about Lot 5, different from the rest of the island, is the man-made structures constructed on it.

The structures indicate intent to hide something of value but do not seem to harbor any traces of a treasure chest or gold and silver.

Most artifacts discovered so far are ancient and purposeful and seem to be hidden clues.

Thus, the depositors of the treasure laid them out to be interpreted only by themselves.

Considering the structure of the features and the method of construction, Lot 5 was never meant to be discovered as an archive for artifacts and underground structures.

The trick was attempting to hide it in plain sight and render the area too insignificant to research.

After several minutes of walking and searching for areas with strong indications of metal, Gary finally found a good metallic target, and Rick dug out the soil to search for the potential artifact.

Digging further into the hole and using the smaller detector equipment, Gary found a long and thin iron piece, which he observed to be a strap.

Based on its shape, the strap had a large head and a narrow curve that went straight down until the end.

Gary believes that at the time of its use, it was a decorative strap, most likely broken off from a whole piece of equipment, vessel, or whatever it belonged to.

Based on its texture and curve, the strap seems to have been used for something heavier, possibly wrapped around boxes or chests.

He also thinks that whatever the strap was as a whole, since it is only a few feet from the circular depression, it must be linked to the nearby structures.

Perhaps far-fetched, but there is a huge chance that during the transportation of possible valuables in or out of the structure underneath the circular feature, the strap broke off and was never recovered.

If Gary’s theory is accurate, then the theory of the circular feature being designed to hide valuable items can be confirmed as true.

When the archaeologists finally excavate to the point of reaching the stone foundation under the circular feature and breaking past it, what they would discover would be unimaginable.

It is also to be remembered that there has been no mention of an underground structure or a stone foundation beneath the depression by any references, either recovered from the original depositors of the treasure or previous searchers.

This indicates that there is a chance that none of the searchers ever had knowledge of a buried structure in the circular feature, and when it is excavated, everything seen would be untouched and untampered by human activities.

Archaeologists at Lot 5 continue to dig deeper into the stone wall of the rectangular depression constructed to keep treasures hidden underground.

As expected, some new discoveries have been made, and some of the findings are dated as far back as the pre-discovery period of Oak Island and its buried treasures.

During early sifting, the crew had a new discovery: a piece of metal, speculated to be either a staple or a chain link.

There might be a few pointers as to why the remains of the supposed chain link were found.

There is a theory of the object splitting after heavy lifting or bonding of objects, possibly treasure, and locking it underground before constructing the stone wall.

There is also the possibility that something unexpected and probably more complicated took place in the area.

Where did it originate from? What was its purpose? And who were the crafters?

These questions would most likely be answered by the proposed CT scan to be conducted on the artifact.

However, one detail is certain: Lot 5 was not merely residential but, from evidence, had some sort of military activity, either as a result of conflict or as a training ground.

The archaeologists continue their careful digging and sifting to discover more unique artifacts that could eventually provide details of the activities in the area.

After careful digging, a cribbing spike was found and analyzed to have been used for most constructions done on the island.

Another flagged spot led to the discovery of the handle of a snipping tool that traces back to Dan Blankenship’s 1970 discovery of Spanish-origin hand-forged iron scissors.

This snipping tool, when compared, seems accurate. Both artifacts were bagged to be scanned.

In Gary’s opinion, it is a fastener, a small cribbing spike, which is a very rare find.

In fact, on this side of the island, on Lot 5, such a discovery had never been made.

Also, based on its appearance, it seems the spike was made from wrought iron, bearing some similarity with other iron artifacts discovered.

Spikes were tools used for building shafts and tunnels in ancient times.

However, they were also used in the construction of buildings and structures.

Perhaps a far-fetched theory, but the possibility of this spike being used as a construction tool for either the circular feature or the rectangular foundation should not be ruled out.

Boats and wharf construction were also done on the island, which indicates that at several points, the spike was used by the builders.

The cribbing spike is usually used for attaching two timbers together, confirming that it was indeed used in ships and water vessel creation and might also have been used in the construction of underground tunnels and structures on the island.

A blacksmith expert, Carmon Le, was consulted to analyze what seemed to be a piece of a snipping tool.

The expert confirmed their theory and explained that the reason for the broken piece was that it was the spot where the welded scissors shear was joined to the handle.

The shear handle was compared to a complete set found by Dan Blankenship and was very similar, confirming the assumptions.

However, the newly found scissors are far older than what was found by the island’s hunter metal expert.

The lead stated that they belonged to ancient scissors. His analysis was not far from Gary’s, and Carmon confirmed that his theory was accurate.

Carmon also explained that the missing hardened bits were the areas where the scissors were welded to the iron.

He also believed that this handle belonged to an ancient pair of scissors that existed approximately from the 1600s to the 1700s.

Luckily, there was just a chance to compare a complete pair of scissors found as original deposit artifacts, recovered by Dan Blankenship, placed side by side.

The resemblance was clear. The handle of the scissors was carved, coiled, not joined to the main shear, but only a bit around the edge.

Carmon also noted that the handle found on Lot 5 was far older than the artifact in the store.

It does not escape notice that the handle’s date is close to the time of construction of the circular feature.

The working archaeologists on Lot 5 seem to have discovered several more pieces of ceramics — a type of pearlware.

Only this time, they are white-colored and dated earlier, around the mid-1700s.

Helen believes that at one point, some part of the discovered creamware belonged to a porcelain teapot and, according to history, should be expected for its period.

Another challenging mystery is that these ceramics were already buried before the discovery of Oak Island, which complicates tracing their origins.

Not long after Oak Island was discovered, it was separated into four acres for easy exploration and excavation by Charles Morris in 1762.

However, it seems that the rectangular depression existed before the separation of the island into segments and definitely before the Money Pit was discovered.

By afternoon, the drilling of the eastern borehole C5N27 had run deep, several feet underground, about 93 ft.

The drilling team was anxious to make another discovery. However, time was not on their side, and there were no explorations of the area after this.

Before time was up, something rare happened. The drill reached 104 ft, an indicator that the soil underneath was disturbed and very fragile.

After dropping lower to 111 ft, the team finally found a core with wood, confirming that there was another structure underground, east and below the garden shaft.

It is possible that this tunnel might be another passageway or a mysterious treasure tunnel.

The wood found was agreed to be in good condition at the lower part, and it had an irregular pattern that indicated it was not made with high-tech material but by man’s labor.

It was similar to axe cuts on other woods or mechanized saws common during the 1800s.

If this theory is accurate, then the tunnel was most likely built before 1795 by a secret depositor or researcher.

The second finding from the drilling was a mix of wet soil, fiber, wood chunks, and debris.

From Terry’s perspective, it seems that the more solid and cleaner wood beams belonged to the roof of the tunnel, while the lower muddy and softer fibers were used for the floor.

After the pieces of wood were placed together, they observed that the loose fragments matched and formed another part of the wood chunk from 111 ft.

Terry also discovered that there was a pattern on it, seeming like it was formed from irregular axe cuts.

The wood is also striated and hand-hewn, and if it is similar to the hand-hewn beams found previously, it indicates that the wood is really old, and so is the structure.

During a visit to Lot 5 archaeologist workspace, Peter and Jack volunteered for tasks.

Peter helped dig through the feature, while Jack sifted the debris for artifacts.

Less than 5 minutes into sorting the debris, Jack made a discovery.

He found a metal piece, which looks like a staple, while Moya thought it was a chain link.

Helen backed up Moya, stating it indeed looked like a chain link.

The presence of a chain link indicates some sort of heavy lifting, either tools or valuables — something of huge bulk was transferred, and in this case, it seems into the rectangular foundation.

From the corrosion state of the metal, the chain link is most likely very ancient.

It was taken to the interpretive center for analysis using ID and other technologies with the muon method.

There were more detailed and accurate reports for the team to work with.

During the operation, 14 sensory cameras were deployed into the boreholes at the Money Pit.

It took over two years of constant observation and monitoring for the data to be gathered.

The cameras were placed at a depth ranging from 80 to 250 ft, giving the chance to glimpse whatever moved underground.

The primary targets for the cameras were return tunnels that lead directly into the Money Pit vaults, underground voids, and high-density anomalies that might contain treasure or evidence pointing to where the treasure is.

Based on the mission of the Oak Island team, the most important task was having data on areas with high-density anomalies and areas with traces of precious metals.

Representatives from ID and Technologies upgraded the data recovered into imagery and mapping so it could be more easily understood.

There was a huge yellow background with bits of blue, green, orange, and red colors.

The yellow represents areas with neutral anomalies.

Low-density anomalies are marked with blue, and areas with higher density anomalies are marked with orange and red, based on how strong they are.

The areas with orange and red markings are of major interest because they indicate the presence of treasure or high-quality precious metals.

Also, the low-density areas cannot be ignored because they might contain structures such as tunnels, vaults, or hidden chambers.

Explaining the imagery, a high anomaly area was discovered west of the garden shaft at a depth of 65 ft below the Money Pit area.

Directly underneath is a low-density anomaly. Could it be that a tunnel or structure was created underneath the treasure?

The low-density anomaly runs at a depth of 112 ft and might not be worth studying because it does not necessarily affect recovering the lost treasure — except, of course, if the structure is a pathway to another place where treasure is buried.

Other anomalies were initially brushed aside.

The most important discovery was a high-density anomaly 85 ft deeper than the garden shaft and 230 ft below the Money Pit.

This result is a trillion-dollar opportunity.

The location of this impressive anomaly has never been explored by any search team.

After the Dumar operation, the Oak Island team would be the first to explore an area with that much depth.

The discovery of this anomaly indicates that the team may have been looking in the wrong places all along, and their focus should not be on one, but on multiple treasures.

The low-density anomaly is not forgotten, and it seems the team has unknowingly explored and found something in the area.

The borehole L15A, which led to the drilling rod reaching a void that led to the discovery of Aladdin’s Cavier, was the area with the low-density anomaly.

This time, areas with possible artifacts were marked with flags as per usual practice, and the goal was to dig through in hopes of discovering any artifacts.

The search started on a good note, as the first flagged spot pulled was detected to have a high concentration of metal materials.

A huge lump of soil and very hard stone was first removed to reach the target.

After careful sorting and digging, an old coin was found and speculated to be much older than the previously discovered coins.

The coin seemed heavy and real enough to pass as the original version.

The artifact, like the others, was sealed to be tested and analyzed at the lab.

Hopefully, the results would confirm its origin as accurate.

It seems that every excavation artifact points to Lot 5 being more than an acre westward on the island and possibly directly related to the Money Pit area — possibly an extension of it.

The artifact was shown to archaeologist Leavenan, who confirmed it was indeed a piece of lead and most likely a bag seal from the ancient era, around the 13th century, when lead bag seals were used as fasteners for industrial and military packages.

Not long ago, on Lot 32, an unled bag seal was discovered to be a compatible match to the 14th-century lead barter token and also a lead cross from the same century found at Smith’s Cove.

To prove his assessment, Leavenan explained that in the 13th century, the seals were made from two lead circle pieces and stamped on, as evidenced by the cut section on the metal.

There was also machine analysis conducted by Emma using the X-ray fluorescence spectrometer, a form of radiation to determine the origin and elemental composition of objects.

According to the analysis, the letter seal is not 100% pure.

It has a bit of iron impurities embedded in it, as well as a small composition of copper.

There was also a report on the bag seals, and unfortunately, the results did not correspond with each other.

However, there was a unique find that made things a bit hopeful.

The top of the now unidentified artifact had strange letters and markings inscribed on it.

The most visibly seen letters were “Acho,” while the other letters were not as recognizable.

It seems the interpretive team went their own way to find a match for the letters.

The sample had the inscription “I Old Parkers, London.”

The seal belonged to a cloth parker from the 1700s, who evidently packed clothes into bales that weighed about half a ton before sealing and shipping.

It is quite possible that the same might be true for the seal found in Lot 5.

There is a high possibility that some materials, such as military uniforms, arms, maps, food items, medications, and the like, were packed, sealed, and shipped to Oakilland.

At one point, the company was stated to be Army Parkers, which refers back to Lot 5, most likely being a military base or some secret arms operation on the island.

So far, the century of the company has not been confirmed, but it is stated to be closely dated to 1808, as evidenced by an entry’s address.

However, it can be confirmed that the seal is much older than it looks, especially with the use of the letter “I” instead of “J” in the inscription.

The “I” represents John before it went out of fashion due to language evolution, a practice traced back to 1524.

A few feet from the feature and in the midst of the stone apron built by Robert Young, open soil with high-quality metal was discovered.

Upon digging, the object seemed very small and round.

It was a lead shot, and based on its size, it was of small caliber and very old.

Speculating its origin, since it is an artifact from Lot 5, it is most likely dated to the 1700s.

According to Gary, this discovery indicates that there might be a chance for military activities, either simple or organized, to have taken place on Lot 5.

Precisely, the discovery of lead shot around the circular feature also links to Duke Danville’s ship log, which theorizes a French naval mission to hide treasure on an island in 1746.

From the records found on the ship, the crew progressed to places close to Oak Island, making it reasonable to think that Oak Island was chosen as the treasure ground.

Since the construction, Dumar Contracting Limited has been busy with the drilling operation in the garden shaft.

There has been no room to search for wood materials, precious materials, and artifacts in the core of the tunnel.

An improvisation was made, and the debris was carefully collected into a truck and dumped on neutral ground to be searched through.

Gary and Charles took on the responsibility of searching through the muck with a metal detecting device for any signs of high-quality iron in the debris.

Soon enough, the constant beeping indicated that at least one metal material had been found.

Digging through the thick mud, Gary discovered a big chunk of flat-surfaced, thick iron.

He stated it to be a metal wedge.

According to Charles, the artifact bears similarity to an axe handle in a wooden staff.

If his opinion is accurate, the piece found might be a broken piece of iron belonging to an axe or a hoe and perhaps was used to dig through the soil, tunnels, or structures.

The discovery confirmed that even in the debris from the garden shaft, the island still held artifacts that connected to tools used for excavation and construction, further revealing the careful planning of whoever built these underground structures.

Every artifact, from coins to iron wedges, points toward a highly organized effort to hide valuables, tools, and structures under Lot 5 and the surrounding areas.

The Oak Island team continues to document, analyze, and carefully excavate, knowing that each discovery brings them closer to unraveling centuries-old mysteries while preserving the integrity of the finds.