Gary Drayton and Alex Lagina Unearth Cast-Iron Clue at Smith’s Cove (Season 12, Episode 6)

In The Curse of Oak Island Season 12, Episode 6, titled “Hide and Seek” and aired on December 17, 2024, metal detection expert Gary Drayton and team member Alex Lagina search the shoreline of Smith’s Cove—an area rich with clues tied to the island’s multi-century treasure mystery.

Their efforts soon pay off when Gary detects a large, buried object deep beneath the rocky terrain. With assistance from Alex and Rick Lagina, the team eventually extracts a heavily encrusted iron plate, which is taken back to the lab for analysis. In a memorable moment, Rick remarks on the significance of their effort: “How can you not be excited?”

Back in the lab, archaeometallurgist Emma Culligan and archaeologist Laird Niven clean and analyze the find. It turns out to be a cast-iron stove door, adorned with a starburst design. This detail instantly triggers connections to a similar motif found on an earlier artifact—a button with a near-identical pattern discovered on Lot 5.

Further material analysis reveals the stove likely dates to the mid-1800s, based on its manganese content. However, the design echoes far older European patterns, prompting more questions than answers. Rick and the team ponder whether the stove door and Lot 5 artifacts could be part of the same broader historical narrative—perhaps linked to early searchers or even earlier depositors.

Meanwhile, excavation continues in Smith’s Cove as Craig Tester, Gary, and Alex search for evidence of the original flood tunnel or vertical shaft reported by the Restall family in the 1960s. They unearth modern nails, bolts, and a spike, suggesting they’re closing in on the remnants of the Restalls’ lost shaft—and possibly its fabled link to the Money Pit flood system.

The discovery of a cast-iron artifact that visually matches a previously unearthed button adds a compelling visual thread to the ongoing investigation. And with tantalizing clues still emerging from Smith’s Cove, the Fellowship remains committed to unearthing the next layer of Oak Island’s buried past.

Cast Featured: Gary Drayton, Alex Lagina, Rick Lagina, Emma Culligan, Laird Niven, Craig Tester