A lead cross found on The Curse of Oak Island could end up being one of the most historic finds ever in North America, the latest episode reveals.
The bombshell revelation comes after “emerging, hard evidence” convinces the team led by Rick and Marty Lagina of the cross’s historic value.
The lead cross was found in Oak Island’s famous Smith’s Cove by metal-detecting expert Gary Drayton during filming in 2017 for Season 5 of the History show
At the time it was claimed the discovery could “change the history of the world”.
The cross features a square hole at the top, and bears an eerie resemblance to a carving seen by Rick Lagina in a wall at the Templar prison at Domme, France, during a research trip for the show.
Original estimates were that the cross was made somewhere between 1200 and 1600 AD.
In an exclusive interview this year, The Curse of Oak Island executive producer Kevin Burns revealed to Monsters and Critics that the cross had undergone rigorous testing since it was found. Some of the results from those tests are revealed on the latest episode of the show.
Burns said at the time of our interview that testing on the cross was still ongoing, but added: “We can’t seem to find any evidence of a cross of that shape or construction that is any more recent than the 1300s or earlier.”
He added: “In other words, some have dated it to as old as 900 AD, some have said 1300 AD, and if it is in that neighborhood, it could very well have been left behind by a Templar and that might be some kind of evidence that they did come to North America years before Columbus. If they did, what did they bring and why?”
Smith’s Cove has been the subject of extensive excavation work this year after a metal cofferdam was built around it to keep out water from the ocean.
Also on the latest episode, new information about Nolan’s Cross comes to light which suggests a Templar connection to the island’s famous Money Pit.
Meanwhile, drilling at the pit itself also continues after last week’s episode saw the team uncover what could be a network of tunnels below ground.
Preview footage for the latest episode of The Curse of Oak Island, Season 6, Episode 6, shows Craig Tester saying “this could be it” as a drill gets close to target depth in the Money Pit.
After it appears to strike something solid, he asks one of the operators: “Could it be wood?” The operator replies: “I don’t think so, it’s pretty dense.”
Meanwhile, the team including Rick and Marty Lagina along with Gary Drayton are shown receiving the results of the tests on the lead cross, which an expert describes as “pretty interesting”.
The episode description for this week’s episode, titled Precious Metal, reads: “New insights on Nolan Cross suggest a Templar connection to the Money Pit while emerging, hard evidence convinces the team the discovery of the lead cross may be the most historic find in North America.”
Watch the trailer below!
The Curse of Oak Island airs Tuesdays at 9/8c on History.