[narrator]
<i>Hey guys…</i>
<i>The long, agonizing wait</i>
<i>for the next chapter</i>
<i>in the world’s most enduring treasure hunt</i>
<i>is finally over.</i>

And if the Season 13 premiere
of The Curse of Oak Island
is any indication,
we are in for the most consequential year yet.

After twelve seasons of methodical,
often frustrating searching,
the premiere delivered an artifact so profoundly significant
it didn’t just hint at the treasure—
it offered physical, irrefutable proof
of the legendary Money Pit’s existence…
finally dissolving a centuries-old mystery.

The bombshell revelation,
delivered not just in the main episode
but expanded upon
in the Drilling Down segment,
was centered on a single, bent,
ancient Portuguese silver coin.

But this wasn’t just any coin
presented in the hallowed War Room.
This unassuming piece of metal
is believed to be the exact same shiny object
surreptitiously pocketed by foreman James Pitblatto in 1849—
an incident that has been a cornerstone
of the Money Pit legend
for over 170 years.

“To me, it’s proof that something is at the bottom of the Money Pit,”
declared Rick Lagina,
capturing the magnitude of the moment.

And as Marty Lagina later commented,
“If this coin were 100% known to be what came out of the Money Pit,
it’s the strongest thing we have ever found.”

The collective gasp—from the team,
and from the global audience—was palpable.
This is the ultimate validation.
The definitive answer to the question:
<i>Was there ever anything there at all?</i>

---

The entire story of this coin,
which immediately became
the most important artifact found to date,
stems from the notorious Pitblatto incident of 1849.

In 1849, the Truro Company
was deep into a search operation
in the legendary Money Pit.
Facing the constant challenge of flooding,
foreman James Pitblatto oversaw
a crucial auger operation—
probing nearly 100 feet below the flood level.

The auger,
a testament to the persistence of early seekers,
brought back incredible,
yet historically frustrating, reports.

At a depth of 98 feet,
the drill reportedly penetrated
a hardwood surface,
then about two feet of loose metal pieces…
another hardwood surface,
another two feet of loose metal.

This pattern suggested nothing less
than two treasure chests
stacked one atop the other.

It was a tantalizing, heartbreaking moment
in Oak Island lore.

But the mystery deepened
when the drill was pulled to the surface.
Pitblatto, the foreman,
was observed removing
a shiny object from the end of the auger—
and crucially,
he refused to reveal what it was
to anyone else on the island.

Immediately,
speculation and secrecy took hold.

Pitblatto’s next action
solidified the importance of his finding.
He sought out prominent businessman
Charles Archbold,
whose family had funded the 1804 search.

After viewing the item,
the two men immediately moved
to purchase the eastern part of Oak Island.

This highly suggestive move spoke volumes.
They had seen something so significant
they were convinced the treasure was real.

This covert action
cemented the Pitblatto incident
as a pivotal, if unproven,
chapter in the Oak Island narrative.

---

Now, over 170 years later,
that shiny object has resurfaced—
carried into the War Room
by Steve Solomon,
a descendant of the Archbold family.

Solomon believes, with conviction,
that this is the very object
Pitblatto found and passed on.

The coin was handed down
through the Archbold family,
originating with Charles Dixon Archbold.

The hypothesis is compelling.
Pitblatto, needing to prove his right
to search for treasure,
gave the item to Archbold
as definitive proof
of the Money Pit’s existence—
and Archbold later passed it to his heirs.

---

Identification and Analysis

Identity: Silver Portuguese coin,
type identified as a tornês de Ceitil.

Date: Reign of King Ferdinand I, 1367–1383.

Authenticity: Metallurgist Emma Culligan
confirmed the coin as absolutely genuine.

Composition: 37.5% silver,
slightly larger than a quarter.

---

The discovery of the tornês de Ceitil
is the definitive game-changer
the team has been waiting for.

Its significance echoes through history,
validating multiple avenues
of Oak Island research.

The coin’s date—
the late 14th century—
is crucial.

It places the artifact directly
within the historical window
surrounding the dissolution
of the Knights Templar in 1307.

After their suppression,
the Templars sought refuge in Portugal,
where they re-emerged
as the Knights of Christ.

The presence of a Portuguese coin
from that exact time period,
180 feet beneath a remote island in Nova Scotia,
acts as a powerful tether—
reinforcing the theory
that the Templars or their successors
were the original depositors
of the Money Pit contents.

This medieval link
has now been tangibly proven,
transforming tantalizing theory
into historical evidence.

---

The coin’s condition is remarkable—
it was likely sealed in a chest or container,
protected from circulation.

Its slight bend
is consistent with heat and pressure
from the 1849 auger strike—
a stunningly literal connection
to the historical event itself.

The existence of this coin
has given the Laginas
absolute confidence
to pursue an aggressive new search strategy.

They believe treasure was
and likely still is
at the bottom of the Money Pit.

---

[narrator continues softly]
<i>The focus now shifts deeper—</i>
<i>into the labyrinthine solution channel.</i>

The theory holds
that the treasure,
including the coin and chest fragments,
fell into this channel
after the original structure collapsed.

Armed with new data,
the team is targeting depths of over 210 feet—
finally deep enough
to reach the true heart of the system.

---

The new approach is surgical,
not destructive.
Massive seven-foot augers
with carbide teeth
will bore down gently,
scooping mud and debris
without driving treasure deeper.

The old hammer-grab method,
believed to have caused last season’s cave-in,
is gone.

“This artifact,” said Marty Lagina,
“is the strongest thing we’ve ever found.”

It is the go-ahead they needed.

---

Beyond the coin,
the spoils from drilling
revealed another layer of validation.

Searcher artifacts—
19th- and 20th-century drill casing pieces—
were identified,
but alongside them…
a depositor artifact:
a piece of pre-1795 metal
with no modern alloys.

Another proof.
Another whisper from the past.

Who was down there?
What were they doing?
Once again, the trail points
to medieval Europe—
and the Knights of Christ.

---

The premiere didn’t stop there.
On Lot 5,
the team uncovered a rock formation
matching ancient pit-and-mound geometry—
a surveying technique
used by Romans and Vikings alike.

It suggests
that the island’s layout
was dictated by a deliberate, ancient plan.

Half of the structure will remain untouched,
to allow for mirroring and mapping—
potentially revealing
the original surveyors’ point of origin.

---

Season 13 delivered more validation
than many seasons combined.

The tornês de Ceitil
is the smoking gun—
the physical link
to the legend of Pitblatto
and the chests of 1849.

With proof in hand
and new technology below,
the Laginas enter the new year
with absolute confidence.

As they push past 200 feet,
the question is no longer if the treasure exists—
but when they’ll retrieve it.

---

The sheer audacity of the original builders
is now undeniable.

They didn’t create traps—
they built a preservation system.
A sacred vault.
A coded structure
designed to protect history itself.

Guided by the Portuguese coin,
the team no longer sees
the Money Pit as a hole to dig—
but a riddle to decode.

---

Every artifact,
every grain of wood and iron,
now carries the weight of proof.

They know what they’re chasing
is not just gold—
but a time capsule
of lost medieval knowledge.

And yet…
this certainty comes with cost.

For years they endured ridicule,
their faith tested by mud, failure, and myth.

Now, standing on the brink,
they face the haunting truth:
the treasure was once within inches—
only to be lost again.

That realization burns.

The remaining cache,
they fear,
may hang in fragile suspension—
one tremor away from vanishing forever
into the ocean’s underworld.

---

The 14th-century coin,
in the end,
is more than metal.
It’s a geopolitical waypoint—
a marker from Portugal,
the edge of the known world,
the birthplace of exploration.

Could it be
that this coin
was a deliberate marker of ownership?
A declaration by the Knights of Christ
that this remote island
was their inviolable repository?

---

When combined with the pits-and-mounds survey marker,
a breathtaking picture emerges:
an island that is not hiding the treasure…
but is itself
the treasure map.

---

With technology capable of reaching the depths
and faith restored by 174-year-old silver,
Season 13 stands poised for an unparalleled climax.

Marty Lagina’s mantra echoes in the chamber:
“This coin is the strongest thing we have ever found.”

They are no longer chasing myth.
They are following evidence—
a trail leading inexorably
to the deep, dark heart
of the solution channel.

If the Money Pit was the lock…
the Portuguese coin is the long-lost key.

And now—
the world watches,
holding its breath,
as the team prepares
to confront the deepest secret of Oak Island…

…and finally break the curse.