What if everything you believed about a historical artifact was a lie? What if a hoax so elaborate rewrote the truth for generations, and the real treasure remained hidden in plain sight?
This isn’t fiction. It’s the gripping foundation of Nova Albion and the Treasure of Sir Francis Drake, a true-crime meets historical-exploration narrative by Robert L. Stupack. In this book, Stupack challenges the official story surrounding one of history’s most controversial relics: the Plate of Brass left by Sir Francis Drake in 1579.
For decades, the Plate of Brass was displayed at the Bancroft Library in Berkeley. These plates were heralded as a priceless link to Drake’s landing on the California coast. But in the early 2000s, it was discredited as a hoax. The timing? Well, it was suspicious. The analysis? It was disputed. The people involved? Are untrustworthy.
Stupack lays out what he believes was a calculated and deliberate deception. He alleges that individuals associated with the Bancroft Library and The Drake Navigators’ Guild had motives far beyond academic curiosity. According to Stupack, the forgery claim served a darker purpose. They wanted to hide the real plate to gain access to the buried treasure Drake left behind in Marin County.
Stupack dives deep into inconsistencies in metallurgical reports, irregularities in historical testimonies, and contradictions in the public narrative. He further examines how media manipulation, selective expert opinions, and institutional pressure slowly turned a celebrated artifact into a dismissed forgery.
But why?
Stupack believes that revealing the true Plate would point to a treasure hidden in the hills of Marin County, with gold, silver, and gems that Drake secretly buried to avoid capture by the Spanish. The Plate wasn’t just a marker. It was a map. And someone wanted that map gone.
This theory isn’t without risk. Stupack’s pursuit came at a steep price. For over two decades, he faced danger in his own backyard. From digging tunnels as deep as 36 feet, dodging death traps allegedly built to protect the treasure, confronting opposition from skeptics and authorities alike, and all the other challenges, this real-life adventure recounts it all. Moreover, his finances also took a hit, and his reputation was challenged.
But he never gave up.
Through every page, Nova Albion and the Treasure of Sir Francis Drake asks us to reconsider how history is written—and by whom. Stupack doesn’t just suggest there’s more to the story; he risks everything to prove that there was a conspiracy and a real crime associated with Drake’s Plates of Brass.
In a time when false information is pervasive, this book serves as a daring reminder that sometimes a lone explorer is necessary to unearth the truth.
So the question remains: Was the Plate of Brass a forgery? Or the key to one of the greatest undiscovered treasures in American history?
What do you believe? If you want to know more, you should definitely read this book. Order your copy from Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/1917238312.
