Ancient Weapons, Stone Crosses and Coins: How Season 11 of The Curse of Oak Island Reframed the Mystery
For more than two centuries, Oak Island has been defined by absence. No confirmed treasure. No definitive explanation. Only fragments of wood, metal, and stone recovered from the soil of a small island off the coast of Nova Scotia. In season 11 of The Curse of Oak Island, that pattern began to shift — not through a single discovery, but through a convergence of artifacts that collectively suggested the island’s past may be far older and more complex than previously assumed.
At the centre of the latest investigation are Rick and Marty Lagina, whose long-running search has increasingly moved away from simple treasure hunting toward archaeological interpretation. This season, the team’s focus expanded beyond the Money Pit itself, particularly to Lot 5, where several finds raised new historical questions.
One of the most closely examined objects was a musket ramrod guide recovered from Lot 5. Initial analysis, supported by archaeologist Laird Niven and archaeometallurgist Emma Culligan, suggested the item dated between the 17th and early 19th centuries. While muskets of this type were common in Europe from the 1500s onward, this example contained an unusual drilled hole not typically seen on similar artifacts.
More striking was what appeared during CT scanning. Roman numerals were identified on the object — markings that bore resemblance to numerals previously documented on a U-shaped structure discovered in Smith’s Cove during the 1970s. That structure was once thought to be part of a flood-control system designed to protect the Money Pit. The similarity between the markings, found decades apart and in different locations, raised the possibility of a shared construction method or symbolic system.
The numerals also revived interest in historical references to a mid-18th-century ship’s log describing buried materials on a wooded island. While no direct link has been established, the coincidence has encouraged further examination of how Oak Island’s features may relate to one another.
Elsewhere on the island, attention returned to the so-called Henshaw Cross — a carved stone discovered in 1771. The cross, whose origins predate large-scale European settlement in the region, remains one of Oak Island’s most enigmatic features. Weathered carvings etched into its surface have resisted clear interpretation despite decades of study.
Some theories link the cross to medieval European traditions, including the Knights Templar, while others suggest Indigenous origins tied to ceremonial or navigational symbolism. Archaeological analysis indicates the stone was intentionally placed rather than naturally deposited, but its precise cultural context remains unresolved.
Another unresolved object, the McGinnis or Mi’kmaq Stone, has again come under scrutiny. First unearthed in 2010, the tablet bears markings that some researchers believe resemble Mi’kmaq hieroglyphics. Carbon dating suggests the stone predates European arrival, reinforcing the idea that Indigenous peoples may have had a deeper relationship with the island than previously recognised.
Researchers remain cautious. Linguists and historians note that symbols can be interpreted in multiple ways, and without corroborating evidence, firm conclusions remain elusive. Even so, the presence of Indigenous-style markings alongside European-era artifacts complicates the idea of Oak Island as a site tied to a single historical moment.
Perhaps most debated are the lead crosses found at Smith’s Cove in 2017 and at Lot 5 in 2023. Nearly identical in shape and composition, both crosses feature scalloped edges and trace elements of silver and tin. Metallurgical analysis has prompted speculation about advanced production techniques, possibly linked to pre-Columbian trade or early transatlantic contact.
Season 11 also revisited material recovered from the 10X chamber, including a wooden chest, a hammer of unknown origin, and a metal fragment bearing what appears to be a faded cross. While none of these items has been conclusively dated or linked to a specific culture, their presence continues to fuel debate about whether Oak Island functioned as a repository — not merely for valuables, but for knowledge or materials intended to be concealed.
Adding further complexity, Roman and Indian coins recovered from Lot 5 in 2023 challenged long-held assumptions about who may have reached the island and when. Whether these coins arrived through direct contact, secondary trade, or later deposition remains an open question. What is clear is that their presence forces historians to consider wider networks of movement and exchange.
As season 11 concludes, Oak Island appears less like a single mystery and more like a layered historical archive. Each artifact raises new questions rather than settling old ones. For the Lagina brothers, the work now resembles interpretation as much as excavation — assembling fragments of a story that may never yield a single, simple explanation.
What Oak Island continues to offer, however, is something equally compelling: evidence that its past may intersect with multiple cultures, eras, and belief systems. And with each careful discovery, the island’s long-held silence grows just a little more difficult to maintain.