Looking for treasures on a desert island sounds similar to a childhood fairytale for many, yet it’s a reality for those involved in “The Curse Of Oak Island”. For several years now, the Lagina brothers and their team of experts have been digging up the depths of the Nova Scotia-located Oak Island in search of what they presume is not only a treasure, but the key to finding a missing piece of the world’s history.
The team’s hunting mission hasn’t been an easy one, but numerous exciting and often valuable finds have been showcased in the show, many of them found thanks to the investigator Gary Drayton and his metal detector.
So how rich is he, and how much has he gained from the show? Stay here to discover all!
How Rich Is Gary Drayton?
As seen in his many appearances in “The Curse Of Oak Island”, Gary Drayton is more than well-versed in everything related to metal detection and treasure hunting. His abilities at finding long-lost artifacts are so good that he gained a stable spot in the investigation crew of the Lagina brothers, making lots of interesting discoveries which are little pieces to finding the truth about the mystery surrounding Oak Island.
However, the exact value of these items lies in their historical significance if the treasure is ever found, meaning that regardless of how amazing his Oak Island finds are, they aren’t contributing a whole lot to his net worth, unlike the jewelry pieces he unearths for a living while off-the-show.
As reported by History UK, Gary’s net worth of around $2.5 million is a combination of the profits he’s made out of his books, courses, and merchandise sales, along with the several valuable items he’s discovered thanks to his metal detecting expertise.
All in all, Gary Drayton’s financial situation is good, but that doesn’t mean that he’ll stop looking for treasures any time soon.
What Valuable Items Has He Found?
Collaborating with Rick and Marty Lagina in their search for the truth behind Oak Island’s centuries-old mysteries is a mission that not everyone is knowledgeable enough to accept, except for experts such as Gary Drayton.
With a decades-long career in the area, Gary can easily demonstrate how well-versed he is at locating metal and other valuable items with the impressive and mind-blowing collection of treasures he has found. The most valuable thing out of those is the 1715 emerald gold ring he found on a Florida beach years ago, which came supposedly from a fleet which sank three centuries ago, carrying millions of dollars in gold and jewelry. According to Gary’s words during a “Beyond Oak Island” episode, this is the ‘greatest treasure ever found in America’.
As seen on his website, Gary has made multiple finds during his metal-detecting escapades, most of them being both ancient and modern jewelry and coins. Gary sells part of his finds, while keeping the most beautiful and interesting items for himself, leading some online sources to believe his collection might be worth around $1 million, half of it made out of the 1715 emerald ring which is valued at $500,000. That makes all the calculations about his net worth ultimately make sense.
How Does He Find All Of These Things?
Gary Drayton is a metal detector expert through and through, and as such follows certain guidelines to make his time worthwhile looking for treasure. During an interview with Minelab in 2011, Gary revealed that some of the most important keys in treasure hunting are having patience, using time wisely, and learning how to read the environment.
Regarding the latter, Gary credits his ‘beach reading skills’ for his success at finding all types of precious items. This is a method learned through experience and logic, as certain factors such as weather conditions and patterns are key to knowing if a treasure hunt would be worth the time or not.
Having that advice in mind, Gary also recommends not waiting for ‘good treasure hunting conditions’ to go out on the search, as those factors are dependent on what other people say about the potential treasure out there, leading to the loss of good opportunities. As he affirms, metal detection experts trust their abilities to find what they’re looking, for instead of what rumors tell them.
Overall, there’s a lot to learn about what Gary does for a living, but it’s all worth the effort for those whose curiosity for treasure hunting was awakened by Gary’s work in “The Curse Of Oak Island”.
Business
While treasure hunting sounds like an extremely interesting hobby, the truth is that Gary Drayton doesn’t just spend his time looking for metals and jewelry for fun. Finding these items is his real job even outside “The Curse Of Oak Island”, making a profitable business out of it for sure.
As seen on Gary’s official website and shop, his metal-detecting knowledge has become his biggest financial source as he’s steadily expanded from just locating and selling his finds to teaching others how to do it. His books such as “The Ultimate Sovereign Beach Hunters Guide” and “Beginners Guide To Beach Hunting” are helpful sources of knowledge and clear techniques for those who want to follow in Gary’s footsteps.
While Gary loves finding all types of treasures, his fondness for looking for ancient Spanish gold on the Floridian beaches led him to write “Metal Detecting For Spanish Treasure”, which is arguably his most popular released book to date.
Gary’s accomplishments in treasure hunting have gained him sponsorship deals with metal detector artifact manufacturers and also turned him into one of the most sought-after teachers in the field. Gary’s Florida-based metal hunting lessons open once a year for four months and are $1,000 for three hours, making it a good deal for those who want to learn Gary’s craft or simply get to meet him.
Other Amazing Finds In The Show
Gary Drayton has proven to be a great asset to the Lagina brothers’ team over and over again. In fact, some of the most interesting and memorable finds ever shown in “The Curse Of Oak Island” have been made thanks to Gary’s expertise when it comes to detecting items, regardless of how small and inconspicuous these might be.
Back in season five, Gary and Rick Lagina found a brooch-looking item which they theorized to be a ruby or semi-precious stone. Another red-stone-adorned brooch was later found by Gary in season eight, promptly getting it examined at Saint Mary’s University to find out that it was made of copper and had traces of gold in it. Also in that season, Gary’s metal detector found a golden handle presumed to have come off a ship.
Other enigmatic artifacts have been discovered by Gary, but the most important one was the lead cross detected in the fifth season, which was later determined to be made out of 600-years old French lead. This find could guide the team to the long-awaited treasure, and also prove Gary’s theory that the treasure buried on the island is of Templar origin.
So is Oak Island’s treasure about money or something meaningful historically? That’s still unclear, but Gary Drayton, the Lagina brothers, and everyone involved with the project haven’t given up on deciphering this mystery.