Description
The so-called Drake’s Plate of Brass is a forgery purporting to be a brass plaque posted by Francis Drake when he landed in Northern California in 1579. Despite initial scepticism, the hoax was successful for 40 years. After the plate came to public attraction in 1936, historians raised questions regarding the plate’s wording, spelling, and preparation. The perpetrators of the hoax tried to mislead the plate finders about its origin. Many believed the plate to be authentic after preliminary metallurgical studies showed it to be genuine.
