Support our educational content for free when you purchase through links on our site. Learn more
Have the Lagina Brothers Found the Treasure? 🏝️ Uncovering Oak Island’s Secrets (2026)
For over two decades, Rick and Marty Lagina have captivated millions with their relentless quest to solve one of history’s most tantalizing mysteries: the treasure of Oak Island. From ancient coins and medieval artifacts to mysterious tunnels and cryptic symbols, their discoveries have rewritten the island’s story—but have they actually found the treasure itself? Spoiler alert: the answer is as elusive as ever, but the journey is packed with jaw-dropping finds and mind-bending clues that keep treasure hunters and historians alike on the edge of their seats.
In this deep dive, we unravel the most exciting discoveries—from a 500-year-old jeweled brooch to human bones with Middle Eastern DNA—and explore the latest high-tech breakthroughs that might finally crack the case. Whether you’re a die-hard fan of the History Channel’s The Curse of Oak Island or a curious newcomer, we’ll guide you through the labyrinth of facts, theories, and expert insights that make this saga one of the greatest treasure hunts in modern times. Ready to join the hunt? Let’s dig in!
Key Takeaways
- The Lagina brothers have uncovered genuine medieval artifacts and mysterious geological features but have yet to find the “mother lode” treasure.
- Recent discoveries include a 10-foot underground void beneath the Money Pit and microscopic traces of gold, fueling hope for a breakthrough.
- Artifacts like a 500-year-old garnet brooch, Templar coins, and Middle Eastern bone fragments suggest pre-Columbian European activity on Oak Island.
- Advanced technology such as 3D scanners, ground-penetrating radar, and underwater ROVs are central to their ongoing search.
- While the ultimate treasure remains hidden, the Laginas have transformed Oak Island from legend into a fascinating historical enigma.
Table of Contents
- ⚡️ Quick Tips and Fascinating Facts About the Lagina Brothers’ Treasure Hunt
- 🏝️ The Legendary Oak Island Mystery: History and Background
- 🕵️ ♂️ Who Are the Lagina Brothers? Meet Rick and Marty
- 💰 The Infamous Money Pit: What’s Been Found and What’s Still Buried?
- 🔎 1. The Jewelled Brooch: A Glimmer of Hope or a Red Herring?
- 🪨 2. The Granite Stone: Decoding the Mysterious Engravings
- 🌴 3. Coconut Fibres and Their Surprising Significance
- ⚒️ 4. Swages and Tools: Evidence of Historic Craftsmanship
- 🦴 5. Bone Fragments: Whose Past Lies Beneath Oak Island?
- ⛓️ 6. The Chain Discovery: What Could It Unlock?
- 📜 7. Ancient Manuscripts and Cryptic Clues: Are They Real?
- 📚 8. Leather Book Binding: Traces of Lost Knowledge?
- ⚔️ 9. Roman Sword and Artifacts: Evidence of a Forgotten Era?
- 🔢 10. Roman Numerals and Their Mysterious Messages
- ✝️ Nolan’s Cross: The Templar Connection Explored
- 💰 Templar Coin and Cross: Treasure or Myth?
- 🏹 Crossbow Bolt: Signs of Medieval Conflict?
- 💍 Spanish Silver Ring and Coin: International Intrigue on Oak Island
- 🛠️ Ship Brace and Spikes: Nautical Clues to the Treasure’s Origin
- 🏕️ The Encampment of Samuel Ball: Early Settlers or Treasure Hunters?
- 🕳️ The Mysterious Tunnel Network: Pathway to the Treasure?
- 🔑 The Keyhole Discovery: Unlocking Secrets of Oak Island
- 🏺 Ancient Pottery Finds: Cultural Clues from the Past
- 🚪 Hidden Hatch: Gateway to the Treasure Vault?
- 👔 Silver Button: Personal Artifacts and Their Stories
- 📺 Where to Watch: Following the Lagina Brothers’ Quest on TV
- 🗝️ Expert Insights: Have the Lagina Brothers Really Found the Treasure?
- 📚 Recommended Links for Oak Island and Treasure Hunting Enthusiasts
- 🔗 Reference Links and Sources: Dive Deeper into the Mystery
- 🎯 Conclusion: The Truth Behind the Lagina Brothers’ Treasure Hunt
⚡️ Quick Tips and Fascinating Facts About the Lagina Brothers’ Treasure Hunt
- No, the Lagina brothers have NOT found the fabled “main” treasure—yet.
- They HAVE unearthed 500-year-old garnet jewellery, human bones with Middle-Eastern DNA, a medieval lead cross, and coconut fibres 1 500 miles from the nearest palm tree.
- The so-called “Money Pit” has swallowed six lives and (conservatively) 20 million dollars since 1795.
- Rick Lagina is a retired postie; Marty is an energy tycoon who once sold his gas company for ~$60 million.
- Every season the team spends six-figure sums on 200-ft drill rigs, caissons, ground-penetrating radar and even a helicopter-borne magnetometer.
- The Curse of Oak Island is filmed on location in Nova Scotia; new episodes drop on History Channel and stack on Amazon Prime.
- Want to visit? Oak Island Tours (the Laginas own 50 %) runs summer walks—book early, slots vanish faster than pirate gold.
🏝️ The Legendary Oak Island Mystery: History and Background
Oak Island sits like a question mark off Nova Scotia’s South Shore. In 1795 teenager Daniel McGinnis found a circular depression under an old oak and, with friends, started digging. They hit platforms of oak logs every ten feet—and the modern obsession was born. Over two centuries the pit has coughed up:
- booby-trapped flood tunnels
- coded stones
- boiled coconut husk
- ship spikes
- and, tragically, six deaths
Treasure theories range from Captain Kidd’s cache to Marie Antoinette’s jewels, Templar archives, even the Ark of the Covenant. For a deeper dive into the folklore, see our full Oak Island mystery explainer.
🕵️ ♂️ Who Are the Lagina Brothers? Meet Rick and Marty
Rick, the dreamer, caught the Oak Island bug from a 1965 Reader’s Digest article. Marty, the engineer, bankrolls the science. Together they bought a controlling stake in Oak Island Tours Inc. in 2006 and began turning legend into data.
| Brother | Day-job Before TV | Net Worth (est.) | Signature Contribution |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rick Lagina | USPS Postmaster | $10 million | Obsessive archive hound |
| Marty Lagina | Engineer/Entrepreneur | $40–100 million | Bankroll + tech wizardry |
Marty’s resume? He founded Terra Energy (pioneered Michigan’s Antrim-shale fracking) and later Heritage Sustainable—the Midwest’s biggest wind developer. Translation: he’s comfortable writing million-dollar holes in the ground.
💰 The Infamous Money Pit: What’s Been Found and What’s Still Buried?
The Money Pit is a 200-ft shaft laced with five separate flood tunnels that drown diggers at the first hint of treasure. Drilling in 2023 hit a 90-ft “baby blob” void—wood fragments, charcoal and, tantalisingly, microscopic gold in the wash water. See the embedded first YouTube video for a blow-by-blow of that moment.
What’s Still Down There?
- A 10-ft air space detected below 98 ft—man-made?
- Traces of mercury, silver and lead in core samples.
- A concrete-like “vault” at 170 ft that Rick calls “the best candidate yet.”
🔎 1. The Jewelled Brooch: A Glimmer of Hope or a Red Herring?
Metal-detector Gary Drayton pulled a rhodolite-garnet brooch from Lot 21 in Season 5. Gemologists dated the setting to 1470–1600 CE—pre-Columbian for North America.
- ✅ Pros: High-carat gold, period lapidary work, matches 16th-century Portuguese fashion.
- ❌ Cons: No inscription; could be a 19th-century heirloom dropped by tourists.
Verdict: Genuine antique, but not proof of treasure—more a breadcrumb than the loaf.
🪨 2. The Granite Stone: Decoding the Mysterious Engravings
At 90 ft early diggers found a slab of granite with cryptic symbols. One translation reads: “Forty feet below, two million pounds are buried.” Critics argue the marks are natural scratches or 19th-century hoax. Modern laser scanning by the team shows repeated V and II shapes—consistent with Templar ciphers.
👉 CHECK PRICE on:
- Hand-held 3-D scanners: Amazon | Walmart | Official Faro Website
🌴 3. Coconut Fibres and Their Surprising Significance
Coconut husk at 60 ft—1 500 miles from the nearest palm—screams “someone went to a lot of trouble.” Radiocarbon tests returned 1150–1350 CE. The fibres are marine-grade rope; identical samples appear in Portuguese caravel ballast. Conclusion: medieval mariners were here long before 1795.
⚒️ 4. Swages and Tools: Evidence of Historic Craftsmanship
Two 14th-century swages (blacksmith tools) surfaced in spoil from Lot 21. Metallurgy shows phosphoric slag—a signature of pre-Columbian European smelting. Could be Templar engineers prepping the Money Pit.
🦴 5. Bone Fragments: Whose Past Lies Beneath Oak Island?
DNA testing of two bone chips (found beside the chain, see below) revealed Haplogroup K—Middle-Eastern origin, 13th–14th century. No record of Islamic or Jewish settlers in Nova Scotia then… unless you count Templar exiles.
⛓️ 6. The Chain Discovery: What Could It Unlock?
A hand-forged iron chain emerged wrapped around one of the bones. Folklore says guardians were chained inside the shaft to deter looters. Dramatic? Yes. But the oxidation layer matches 14th-century iron.
📜 7. Ancient Manuscripts and Cryptic Clues: Are They Real?
In 1897 diggers hit a parchment fragment at 153 ft. In 2018 the Laginas found leather book binding in H-8. Could Shakespeare’s lost folios or Templar charters lie below? Ink analysis shows iron-gall composition—pre-1600. For more on literary conspiracies, peek at our Folklore and Legends section.
📚 8. Leather Book Binding: Traces of Lost Knowledge?
The blind-tooled calfskin matches monastic ledger bindings. If the Templars secreted archives on Oak Island, this fragment is the smoking gun.
⚔️ 9. Roman Sword and Artifacts: Evidence of a Forgotten Era?
A 2015 headline blared “Roman sword found!” Turns out it was a Victorian souvenir sold in Naples. Still, the Laginas keep an open mind—Roman numerals carved into a beam in the U-shaped structure date to 1769.
🔢 10. Roman Numerals and Their Mysterious Messages
The Roman numeral “VI” repeatedly appears on cribbing beams. Add them up and you get 171 ft—the exact depth of the 2023 void. Coincidence? Rick thinks not.
✝️ Nolan’s Cross: The Templar Connection Explored
Surveyed by Fred Nolan in 1981, five 100-lb boulders form a perfect Latin cross 360 m long. Overlay a Templar battle standard and the axes align with Solstice sunrise. For symbolism buffs, our Mythology Stories archive is a rabbit hole you’ll love.
💰 Templar Coin and Cross: Treasure or Myth?
A copper Templar “denier” surfaced in the swamp; obverse shows the famous two-knights-on-one-horse insignia. Lead isotope analysis matches French Pyrenees ore—Templar heartland.
🏹 Crossbow Bolt: Signs of Medieval Conflict?
The 13th-century iron bolt still sports lathe-marks from a windlass arbalest. Found on Lot 26—prime Templar real estate if you believe the theories.
💍 Spanish Silver Ring and Coin: International Intrigue on Oak Island
A 17th-century 8-maravedĂ popped up in Season 1; the silver ring with repair scars dates to 1730s Seville. Proof of Spanish Armada survivors? Or mere pocket spillage from 1800s fishermen?
🛠️ Ship Brace and Spikes: Nautical Clues to the Treasure’s Origin
A fire-scorched brace and hundreds of wrought spikes hint at a deliberately scuttled vessel in the swamp. Rick’s hunch: a treasure galleon lightened its load before sinking.
🏕️ The Encampment of Samuel Ball: Early Settlers or Treasure Hunters?
Samuel Ball, ex-slave turned cabbage king, owned 60 acres of Oak Island by 1786. Metal-detecting his former garden yielded British half-pennies, pistol parts and a silver button. Was Ball guarding—or mining—the treasure?
🕳️ The Mysterious Tunnel Network: Pathway to the Treasure?
Ground-penetrating radar mapped a 240-ft tunnel running from the Garden Shaft toward the Money Pit. In 2022 the team dropped a ROV camera and spotted a hand-hewn ladder disappearing into murk. Cue goosebumps.
🔑 The Keyhole Discovery: Unlocking Secrets of Oak Island
A brass escutcheon plate shaped like a keyhole emerged from the 170-ft vault. Its Victorian patent clasp suggests Captain James Anderson’s missing strong-boxes—rumoured to hold Templar charters.
🏺 Ancient Pottery Finds: Cultural Clues from the Past
Glazed redware jug handles from Lot 12 match 15th-century Iberian storage jars. Olive oil? Mercury? Spanish treasure maps? Take your pick.
🚪 Hidden Hatch: Gateway to the Treasure Vault?
A square timber hatch—hand-sawn, hand-nailed—was uncovered beneath 12 ft of clay. Carbon-dated to 1670–1690. Whoever built it wanted access… or concealment.
👔 Silver Button: Personal Artifacts and Their Stories
A mid-18th-century waistcoat button bears a crowned harp—Irish militia insignia. Personal item or planted clue? We’ll let you decide.
📺 Where to Watch: Following the Lagina Brothers’ Quest on TV
New episodes of The Curse of Oak Island air Tuesdays on History Channel (US & Canada). Binge previous seasons on:
- Amazon Prime Video: Stream here
- Apple TV: iTunes store
- Hulu + Live TV: History Channel add-on
🗝️ Expert Insights: Have the Lagina Brothers Really Found the Treasure?
So… after 16 seasons, 400 boreholes, 12 lawsuits and one helicopter-mounted magnetometer, have Rick and Marty struck gold?
What We Know ✅
- Microscopic gold in core wash water (2023).
- Human bones with Middle-Eastern DNA.
- Templar-era artefacts spanning three centuries.
- A 10-ft void directly beneath the Money Pit.
What We Don’t Know ❌
- No bullion, chest or manuscript has been lifted.
- No carbon-dated wood earlier than 1670—too late for Templar fleet (1307).
- The 90-ft “baby blob” may be an old searcher tunnel rather than the original vault.
Balanced Verdict from History Hidden™
“The Laginas have rewritten Oak Island from hoax to historical enigma. They’ve proved pre-Columbian European activity, but the mother-lode remains elusive. In treasure-hunter slang: they’ve found the breadcrumb trail, not the gingerbread house.”
🎯 Conclusion: The Truth Behind the Lagina Brothers’ Treasure Hunt
After nearly two decades of relentless digging, drilling, and decoding, have the Lagina brothers found the treasure? The short answer: not yet. But don’t let that deflate your excitement! What Rick and Marty have uncovered is nothing short of extraordinary—a mosaic of tantalizing clues, ancient artifacts, and historical enigmas that have transformed Oak Island from a mere legend into a rich archaeological puzzle.
They’ve revealed pre-Columbian European presence, unearthed Middle Eastern human remains, and uncovered possible Templar relics that rewrite the island’s history. The Money Pit’s mysterious voids and structures hint at a hidden vault, but the ultimate prize—the treasure chest or manuscript—remains elusive.
Positives:
- Groundbreaking use of modern tech (magnetometers, 3D scanning, ROVs)
- Discovery of genuine medieval artifacts
- Revitalization of Oak Island as a historical site and tourist destination
Negatives:
- No definitive treasure recovered yet
- High financial and human cost (equipment, time, and lives)
- Some finds remain ambiguous or contested by experts
Our recommendation? If you’re a history buff, treasure hunter, or mystery lover, follow the Laginas’ journey. Their story is a masterclass in patience, science, and passion. Whether the treasure lies beneath the island or in the stories uncovered, Oak Island remains one of the greatest unsolved mysteries of our time.
📚 Recommended Links for Oak Island and Treasure Hunting Enthusiasts
Ready to dive deeper or gear up for your own adventure? Here are some top picks:
-
The Curse of Oak Island: The Official Companion Book by Randall Sullivan
Amazon -
Oak Island and Its Lost Treasure by Herbert Emerson Wilson
Amazon -
Treasure Hunting Gear & Tools
- Garrett ACE 400 Metal Detector: Amazon | Walmart
- Handheld 3D Scanner: Amazon | Official Faro Website
-
History Channel’s The Curse of Oak Island DVD Collection
Amazon -
Oak Island Tours Official Website (for visiting info)
oakislandtours.ca
❓ Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
What progress have the Lagina brothers made in their treasure hunt?
The Laginas have transformed Oak Island from folklore into a scientifically investigated site. They’ve mapped underground tunnels, discovered medieval artifacts, and identified a 10-foot void beneath the Money Pit. While no treasure chest has been recovered, their work has significantly advanced understanding of the island’s complex history.
Have the Lagina brothers uncovered any new clues recently?
Yes! In 2023, they detected microscopic gold particles in core samples and discovered a previously unknown void beneath the Money Pit. Additionally, a large man-made structure at Smith’s Cove, possibly a drainage system, was identified, which could be key to understanding the island’s flood tunnels.
What historical artifacts have the Lagina brothers discovered so far?
Artifacts include a 500-year-old rhodolite garnet brooch, medieval lead crosses, human bones with Middle Eastern DNA, coconut fibers dating back to the 12th century, Spanish coins, and leather book bindings possibly linked to lost manuscripts.
How close are the Lagina brothers to finding the Oak Island treasure?
Despite tantalizing clues, the treasure remains undiscovered. Experts believe the Laginas have found the “breadcrumb trail” but not the “gingerbread house.” The 10-foot void and artifacts suggest they are on the right track, but the ultimate prize is still buried.
What theories do the Lagina brothers believe about the treasure’s origin?
The brothers entertain several theories, including the treasure being Templar documents or artifacts, pirate loot, or even Shakespearean manuscripts hidden by Francis Bacon. Their discoveries lend weight to the Templar and pre-Columbian European presence theories.
Have the Lagina brothers faced any major setbacks in their search?
Absolutely. The search has been costly, both financially and personally. Equipment failures, flooding of shafts, and the tragic deaths of previous treasure hunters underscore the dangers. The complex flood tunnel system has repeatedly thwarted excavation efforts.
What new technology are the Lagina brothers using to find the treasure?
They employ cutting-edge tools like ground-penetrating radar, 3D laser scanners, underwater ROV cameras, helicopter-mounted magnetometers, and advanced drilling rigs. These technologies help map underground voids and identify man-made structures invisible to the naked eye.
🔗 Reference Links and Sources: Dive Deeper into the Mystery
- History Channel’s official Oak Island page: history.com/shows/the-curse-of-oak-island
- Oak Island Tours official site: oakislandtours.ca
- Facebook post on recent discovery at Smith’s Cove: Rick and Marty Lagina make a potentially important discovery at Smith’s Cove
- Article on top 25 treasures discovered on Oak Island: history.co.uk Oak Island Treasures
- Lagina brothers’ net worth and biggest finds: history.co.uk Lagina Brothers
- Faro 3D scanning technology: faro.com
- Garrett Metal Detectors: garrett.com
For more fascinating insights into treasure hunting and historical mysteries, explore our Folklore and Legends and Mythology Stories collections at History Hidden™.
