A Discovery That Made History—Until It Didn’t
In 1936, a brass plate surfaced in Northern California bearing the name of Sir Francis Drake and claiming England’s possession of the land in 1579. For decades, it was celebrated as a monumental historical find.
Professors hailed it. Museums displayed it. Copies were gifted to royalty. But behind its engraved letters lay an elaborate practical joke that spun wildly out of control.
Crafted for a Laugh, Mistaken for Treasure
The plate was conceived by members of a historical fraternity called E Clampus Vitus, known for mixing historical interest with mischief. Around 1917, the plate was fabricated using modern tools. It matched 16th-century descriptions of the artifact Drake supposedly left behind.
Intended as a joke for historian Herbert Bolton, it was planted near Drake’s Bay—but when discovered, it vanished, only to be rediscovered and brought to Bolton himself three years later.
Experts Weigh In—And Get It Wrong
Excitement surged. Bolton and the president of the California Historical Society quickly paid for the plate and announced it publicly. Some scholars raised red flags about spelling, grammar, and the metal’s suspiciously clean surface. But in 1938, Columbia University scientists concluded it was authentic.
With that, the plate was accepted as a major historical artifact and enshrined in the Bancroft Library at the University of California, Berkeley.
Clues Ignored, Truth Revealed Decades Later
The hoaxers had tried to tip off Bolton—through spoof letters, satirical books, and even fluorescent “ECV” initials painted on the back—but the warnings were brushed aside. The truth didn’t come until the 1970s, when modern tests showed the plate’s composition and manufacturing couldn’t be from Drake’s era.
In 2002, four historians published a full reconstruction of the prank. By then, the plate had fooled the academic world, captivated the public, and quietly become one of the most successful historical hoaxes in American history.
When a brass plate inscribed with Sir Francis Drake’s name turned up in California in 1936, historians believed they had found a priceless artifact from 1579.
For 40 years, experts, universities, and even royalty treated it as genuine—unaware it began as a fraternity… pic.twitter.com/SeQs18v6iN
— Detective Tiger's Stories (@TigerDetective) July 3, 2025