About This Artifact
A small silver artifact recovered on Lot 5 during Season 11 by Jamie Beaton. Emma Culligan's XRF analysis confirmed the piece is 90 percent silver, a purity that qualified it as treasure under the provincial treasure trove license. The composition represents one of the highest silver concentrations found in any artifact on Oak Island.
Archaeologist Laird Niven and Emma examined the piece at the Interpretive Centre and concluded it appears to be in its original form rather than a fragment of something larger. They identified it as either a knife hilt or a decorative tassel, a type of ornamental fitting used on clothing, military dress, or ceremonial objects. The craftsmanship and silver content suggest it belonged to someone of status rather than a common laborer or settler.
Rick Lagina requested further metallurgical testing to determine whether the silver composition could connect the piece to the wreck of the Concepcion, the Spanish treasure galleon that sank off Hispaniola in 1641 and was partially salvaged by William Phips in 1687. The Concepcion connection runs through Captain Andrew Belcher, an early Freemason caught trading with pirates who had Phips's ship, and through the broader theory that Spanish colonial silver made its way to Nova Scotia through privateering networks. The tassel was found alongside other significant Lot 5 artifacts including a gilded naval button with 3 percent gold that Emma dated to the 18th century and identified as English military manufacture.
Where It Was Found
Found at Lot 5 - stone foundation — Oak Island, Nova Scotia, Canada.
