The sneak peek for next week’s The Curse of Oak Island episode showed a coin being found — which it’s thought could be the “hard evidence” the team receive in Episode 3 of a European presence on the island long before the discovery of the Money Pit.
The footage, which was shown at the end of Episode 2, included a close-up of the coin lying on metal-detecting expert Gary Drayton’s hand. After the discovery, Marty Lagina is seen pointing at Dave Blankenship and saying: “I’ve never seen you so excited!” He replies: “Because it means something!”
Marty says: “Here’s hard evidence people were on the island 120 years before the discovery of the Money Pit.”
The coin appears in relatively good condition, and now some fans think they have identified it as a Charles II farthing — A British coin which was produced during the king’s reign from 1660 to 1685.
In the close-up, the writing on the left hand side appears to read CAROLVS — which is the medieval Latin form of the name Charles. The full inscription on all Charles II farthings — which also included a bust of the monarch on the same side — reads CAROLVS · A · CAROLO.
The other side featured a seated figure of Britannia, the female personification of Britain, along with the words BRITANNIA and the date the coin was issued.
Slightly different versions were also made, including one with the date on the front side of the coin, underneath the bust of Charles.
If the coin found on The Curse of Oak Island is in good enough condition, then it may well also have the date visible — which could be why it is such a big find for the team.
The coin from the sneak peek was identified by Reddit user sweetsmellingrosie after another fan put up a picture asking if anyone could help reveal what it was. They said the coin was “not super common” but “out there on early colonial sites”.
They later added that it was “not out of place on Oak Island by any means”.
The full details behind the coin and the date it was issued, if still visible, are expected to be revealed on the next episode of The Curse of Oak Island — which looks set to be one of the most intriguing yet.
Along with the “hard evidence”, the team also receive “alarming news” which could threaten the whole treasure-hunting operation. At one point Marty says in the sneak peek: “This is so serious. This is the first step to shutting down the whole island.”
Footage shown as the credits rolled at the end of Episode 2 also pointed to the team uncovering something sinister during their drilling operations in the season ahead — which it’s thought could be bone, indicating perhaps some sort of burial pit or grave.
We told yesterday how Rick Lagina dropped a massive hint in an interview for Drilling Down host Matty Blake’s radio show that the team could uncover proof of a Knights Templar presence this season.
What do you think of the coin shown in the Episode 3 sneak peek? Are you able to identify it? Let us know in the comments below or in our The Curse of Oak Island Facebook group.
In case you missed it, make sure to read our full recap of Season 5 Episode 2.
The Curse of Oak Island airs Tuesdays at 9/8c on History.