What Has Been Found on Oak Island - With a Metal Detector

We have been following the hit History Channel television show The Curse of Oak Island for about 7 years as of this writing.  Although many average viewers think the  treasure hunt has been a bust, those within the world of metal detecting know otherwise.  

Along with what some might consider junk - like leather book bindings, scraps of wood, and iron pieces. There have, in fact, been some valuable items found on Oak Island.  

The Minelab CTX 3030 Metal Detector is a Popular Choice for Serious Metal Detectorists

In a prior article I wrote titled "What Metal Detectors Do They Use on The Curse of Oak Island?"  I discussed the popular metal detectorist Gary Drayton and what type of metal detectors he uses on the show.  What we didn't discuss are what items have been found on the island with a metal detector.

In an article written for Minelab by Gary, he reveals how he was given free reign to roam the island for weeks to find and log his metal detecting finds.  So, the little amount of time you see Gary detecting on the show is only a fraction of the time he spent there metal detecting.  

The History Channel has an Interactive Map of finds from the Curse of Oak Island showing some of the more interesting finds on the island. Click the image below to see some of the finds from the show.

There are no doubt there have been some cool finds on Oak Island that were on the hit series.  But, behind the scenes, Gary has found some things that people in the metal detecting world would love to swing a coil over.

In addition to several 1800's silver Canadian coins, Gary has found some really interesting and historically important items on Oak Island.

For instance in the image below, Gary shows a small Templar coin found while metal detecting on Oak Island.  Who wouldn't want to find one of these? 

 Templar Coin Found by Gary Drayton at Oak Island

 Gary is no doubt a world renowned metal detectorists.  He scours the beaches of Florida looking for lost Spanish treasure.  If you visit his website GaryDrayton.com, you will see the amazing "Bobby Dazzlers" and "Top Pocket" finds of his.

 Colonial Silver Found by Gary Drayton on Oak Island

Although not all of the finds are considered monetarily valuable, they all hold some sort of value to the land owners.  Each and every one of them gives a clue to the prior occupants of the island.  With finds ranging from the 1400's up to modern times, they help paint a picture of the island's past.

Victorian Portrait Brooch Found by Gary Drayton on Oak Island

Not all of his finds are extremely valuable and Gary doesn't always use discrimination in his searches.  Since many of the items they want to find on Oak Island are iron, he switches his Minelab CTX 3030 to relic mode in order to find these items.

1700's Ship Rigging Axe Found by Gary Drayton on Oak Island

 As they continue to search Oak Island for the "mother load" we hope to see Gary employ his expert metal detecting tactics to keep finding the items within his detector's reach.

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