The Curse of Oak Island S13: Clues Unearthed Beneath the Shore

In one of the most eventful episodes of The Curse of Oak Island Season 13, the Lagina team uncovered a series of discoveries on Lot 5 that may reshape everything researchers believe about the island’s mysterious past. What began as a routine metal-detection sweep quickly escalated into one of the most promising days of fieldwork the team has reported in years.

The day’s search opened with Marty Lagina, his nephew Peter Fornetti, and metal-detection expert Katya Drayton navigating the dense ferns leading down to the shoreline. Their target: the area between a puzzling rectangular formation and an adjacent rounded stone structure—features that have long defied explanation. With the soil recently disturbed by a skid steer, the team hoped something of value might finally reveal itself.

They didn’t have to wait long. Katya’s detector emitted a strong signal, and moments later, the team unearthed a heavy metal fragment with clear fasteners and curved edges. It was quickly bagged and transported to the Oak Island laboratory for expert analysis.

There, archaeologist Laird Niven and scientist Emma Culligan delivered startling news: the artifact was part of a cast-iron pot dating as far back as the 1600s or 1700s. The phosphorus-rich iron indicated it predated the Industrial Revolution, placing it squarely within a historical period relevant to several Oak Island theories — including possible early European or colonial activity.

But the biggest discovery of the day awaited just south of the rounded feature. As Marty and Katya resumed scanning, another strong signal emerged. Digging beneath a stone, Katya uncovered an irregular, thick copper coin — its surface tinted green with age and engraved with faint lettering and the unmistakable shape of a cross.

When Gary Drayton arrived, he confirmed what the entire team silently hoped: the coin was likely pre-1600s, possibly hammered, and potentially linked to other Roman-era coins previously authenticated on Lot 5. The finding immediately raised questions about who walked Oak Island’s shores centuries before the Money Pit was ever discovered.

With five ancient coins already verified and a growing list of artifacts pointing to unexplained early contact, Lot 5 has become one of the most significant areas on Oak Island. As Rick Lagina noted, “The more you look at it, the more it reveals.” Now, with a new centuries-old coin heading for CT scanning and metallurgical study, the team edges ever closer to answering the island’s greatest lingering question: Who was here — and what were they hiding?