The last time we wrote an article about the subreddit "What is this thing?", it had 894,000 members. Now, the number has grown to 1.8 million. No wonder -- it delivers. People keep going to the community with photos of possessions they need identifying, and they keep getting answers, too.
From the roof plate of a drum fish to a fancy sugar cube holder, these Internet detectives don't shy away from any case. "About 75-85% of all the items posted to this subreddit are solved, and out of those about 50-60% are solved within the first 30 minutes of the post going live," a moderator of the subreddit told Bored Panda. "The average time of solving what an item is around 20-30 minutes, and about 15-20% of the posts made here don't go live at all, because the moderation team has solved it through modmail, or by commenting on the post before it goes live due to the sheer amount of different things the moderators have seen."
Continue scrolling and check out some of the most memorable recent posts!
#1 I Found This Blue Disc In A Packet Of Sour Cream Crisps. Its Has The Words "Ferrous 25mm Bst, Cert Number 213026b" On It
Answer: It's a testing chip. It goes through the metal detectors to ensure they're working. There's a problem here though. You send X number of testers you get X number back. If you get X-1 or some other number you stop the line until you find your chip. The entire purpose of the test is to make sure that stuff like this--which is supposed to simulate a foreign object--does not get through. There's usually paperwork to document this. Write to the outfit and tell them what you found and rest assured there will be a shitstorm on the other end.
Image credits: scary2020
#2 Found On A Beach Of Lake Erie. I’ve Lived Near The Lake My Whole Life And Never Have Seen Something Like This
Answer: the roof plate of a drum fish
Image credits: livyboop
#3 What Is This Scanner That A Rooftop Cop Had At A Protest? Seemed To Be Shining A Green Laser At Certain People In The Crowd
Answer: Picking out specific targets for ground police. It’s easier to track an individual through a crowd from above. This may be because they are armed, or something else that makes them high priority. Snipers are out of the question, firing into a fast moving mass of people would only end badly.
Image credits: Zoltanu
#4 Found This Hidden In The Ceiling Of My Basement With A Bunch Of Others. Made Out Of Glass, Appears To Have Some Sort Of Tape Or Paper Border Around It. Hining A Light Through It Doesn’t Project A Clean Image
Answer: Magic Lantern glass slide
Image credits: jjwood84
#5 A Silver Utensil. When You Press The Button On One End The Grips Open
Answer: Sugarcube holder.
For tea parties with scones.
Or coffee and cake.
Image credits: reddit.com
#6 Small Plastic Figurines Found Buried In Backyard. 1” Mustachioed Bald Men With Hands On Head, Printed With Arrows. (CA, USA)
Answer: Hasbro produced a Monopoly mini-game in 2009 called Monopoly: Get Out Of Jail. It looks like these were the game pieces used.
Image credits: Beatrixie
#7 What Is This Thing? It Perfectly Fits In Each Other And There Was Some Sort Of Liquid In It
Answer: It's a herb grinder (mostly for weed).
Image credits: Pw_w
#8 What Is This Thing On This Serial Killers Head While He Was In Court?
Answer: He's partially deaf. It's basically a giant hearing aid (sound amplifier headphones).
Image credits: jurjasouras
#9 Ok, I Know It’s A Chair, But What’s With The Extended Arms?
Answer: It looks like a plantation/planters chair. You’d put your sore swollen legs up on the arms after sitting on a horse all day, like a pregnant woman with her legs up in the same fashion. This is why the back is so sloped as well. If you sit up straight it wouldn’t be comfortable to put your legs up like that, but in a reclined position it’s good for blood flow and air flow.
Image credits: Chwk540
#10 Found This Sewn Into The Hem Of A Pillowcase In A Hotel
Answer: Probably RFID for identifying the owner at the industrial laundry place.
Image credits: DrKrepz
#11 Chest Of Drawers With No Drawer Sides And A Hole At The Front Of The Drawer...?
Answer: Looks like an Artist’s Cabinet or Flat File. It’s a set of drawers for storing drawings, architectural plans, etc.
Image credits: CatAlayne
#12 Help Identify What These Are And What They Were Used For? Passed Down By Family - UK
Answer: An apprentice final piece before becoming a journey man engraver.
Image credits: Haylez116
#13 Arrived In The Post For Me. Small Glass Tubes With 2 Tiny Ball Bearings In Them. No Idea And Not Something I’ve Ordered
Answer: I believe those are rattles that you can put inside of fishing lures so they make noise to attract fish
Image credits: xCLINTx22
#14 House On My Running Route Partially Sunken Into The Ground
Answer: Just a guess, but maybe built during the 70’s energy crisis. A home near where I grew up was built with a berm around most of it to save on heating and cooling
Image credits: Tapple_Juice
#15 My Great Grandpa, An Iowa Native And Ww2 Veteran, Passed Away And Left Behind This Tool Or Decorative Piece. It Is Solid Metal, Has No Markings, And Weighs A Few Ounces. Screwdriver Is For Scale
Answer: I think your grandfather might have known someone in the Navy. Those are used in a ceremony when crossing over the equator. So I think your grandfather is what you refer to as a shellback. That is someone who's been over the equator.
Image credits: melting_teeth
#16 My Friend Found This Scaffold-Like Structure On A Trip. There Was A Paintball/Airsoft Field And A Hotel Nearby, But I'm Confused About The Purpose Of This. Located In Czechia, Europe
Answer: it is a 3D maze. Used in kid's camp or other outdoor activity clubs (Paintball, Airsoft, Trekking, etc.)In a paintball setting, it could be used to hold a flag or another capturable objective.
Image credits: killedbyboneshark
#17 Found In Forest In Sweden, About 1m From Ground, Roughly 20cm In Size. Hard To The Touch, But Drips Liquid When Knocked
Answer: Looks like a polypore fungus that is exuding excess moisture, called guttation.
Image credits: Tricky_e
#18 I Started To Peel And Separate This Orange Into Segments When I Found This Inside. Its Ridges Were Growing Between The Orange Segments Where Pith Would Normally Be. What Is It?
Answer: Sometimes navel oranges can have a second orange growing inside the first one. This looks to be what happened here but the second orange died and began to decompose.
Image credits: hotscorn
#19 Some Kind Of Metal Faucet Looking Device In The Bathroom Of A Union Hall In Lewiston, ID. Witt?
Answer: It's an old ashtray.
Push the button for it to empty to the container below it.
Image credits: Chungallo
#20 I Found This In A Dirt Basement Of An Old House I Was Cleaning Out. What Is This Thing Used For ?
Answer: you are the proud owner of some lamp/lighting chain.
Image credits: Atticus_the_dog
#21 Found In A Newly Empty House, I Found What Looks Like A Really Strange Bed But Is Maybe Not. What Is This?
Answer: I can picture it with plants, candles in the holders, and a futon-type mattress or floor cushion to sit on and meditate. A friend of mine had a similar space for meditating, minus the platform thingy.
Image credits: reddit.com
#22 Heavy Mass Hanging On Transmission Cables
Answer: This is an art intervention in a brazilian university. This thing should be a meteor.
Image credits: reddit.com
#23 Metal 3-4 Inches, With Glass Balls
Answer: These were how old reflectors were made, like for railroads
Image credits: TrinklingRain
#24 My College Sent Me This And I Have No Clue What Its For
Answer: It's called a germ key
Image credits: reddit.com
#25 Blue Glass Token Found In A Field In France, Though One Of The Ships Flags Kind Of Looks Like A Union Jack. Game Piece Or History?
Answer: It's a part of a ring warn by somone important on one of the shipping companies in the 18th century
Image credits: whatisthisbluething
#26 Found This Thing On The Street ~2 Years Ago. The Red Light Was Glowing Brightly For About Five Days And Then Dimly For Almost Three Weeks Before Fully Going Out. Looks Like It's Been Run Over A Couple Times Too
Answer: This is a bike backlight.
Image credits: reddit.com
#27 I Bought This "Thing" Years Ago, But Never Knew What It Was, I Just Thought It Looked Cool! The Center Globe Piece Spins And Is Weighted At One End, So Even If You Give It A Spin, It Always Ends Up With The "10" Facing Up. The Numbers Are 10-130, In Increments Of 10. Any Ideas Would Be Awesome!
Answer: This is a thermometer. My grandfather had the same exact device. Look at the number where it aligns with the convex (upper) portion of the plane, that should be the approximate temperature in Fahrenheit. I was always told to not spin it because it would mess with its accuracy
Image credits: fadetodusk
#28 Goat In A Field In Scotland, Appears To Have Had Handlebars Added To His Horns?
Answer: To prevent the goat get stuck in the fence, probably wire fence
Image credits: reddit.com
#29 Reverse Swastica Neckless Tag. Found With Some Of My Great Uncles Things. He Was Born Around 1920 In Chicago. His Parents Were Born In Germany. Why Is This Reversed And Rotated?
Answer: Swastika were very popular in the US until around the start of WW2. They were a part of early American Indian culture, to some degree, and it was seen as a symbol for "long life" or "good luck." It's not uncommon to turn them up in multiple forms, usually made out of silver, or nickel. Given the period you state, I'd say this was a keep sake from a trip to the western US, and is probably made out of a silver amalgam.
Image credits: reddit.com
#30 I Keep Seeing This Little Box On Many Different Cars In My Neighborhood. It Looks Like Some Sort Of Lock Box?
Answer: Turo business -- it's like AirBnB, but for cars.
Image credits: reddit.com
#31 Seen Hanging Behind The Bar At A Pub In Australia (NT)
Answer: Its a game that a lot of pubs play. They sell raffle tickets and if you win you get to turn over one of the cards. If you get the preselected card (usually a joker) you win a prize. My local used to put on 4 slabs of beer or similar for the winner. Only 1 person would get a chance to turn a card on Friday and Saturday arvos though
Image credits: reddit.com
#32 Right In The Center Of My Bedroom’s Floor, Which Is A Converted Dining Room In A 1920s Apartment. Also Directly Below The Light Fixture
Answer: It's whats left of an old servants or dinner bell. Someone in the past disassembled the top part to lay the carpet.
Image credits: reddit.com
#33 What Are These? Found On A Sidewalk, They’re Made Of Glass, No Lights Inside. Just An Arrow
Answer: Skylights for the basement of the building they are in front of
Image credits: reddit.com
#34 Paint Simunition Shot At Us During A Protest
Answer: Looks like an FN303 paint round. The granules are bismuth; they're non-toxic. You could keep it
Image credits: mulesrule
#35 I Found This Metal Object. No Text Or Numbers. Can Retract To Be The Size Of A Bracelet
Answer: It's the top (closure part) of a purse or small handbag.
Image credits: s1l4z_behr
#36 Switch On The Back Of An Old Clock Labelled "Miracle Eye". What Is This?
Answer: I think it is a light sensor that can be turned on and off. When on the clock will not make chime noises unless it senses light. This way at night it does not wake people up.
Image credits: blkdev
#37 These Lead Blocks Were Found In A UK River. 125g Each. Can Anyone Positively Identify Them?
Answer: These are jyotish tokens with the Rahu yantra to be used for a Rahu Ranga Mantra recital and practice. Likely for personal gain.
You are right that these are magic squares, but more specifically they are called Navagraha Yantras. There are traditionally 9 of them (one for each "planet"), each having a distinct combination of 9 numbers. Together they can be combined to form their own "Magic square".
The words on the bottom are some form of either:
- om raam rahave namah
- om raag rahave namah
- or simply, om rahave namah
These are called Beej (seed) mantras.
The placement of Lead (raanga) in running water is particularly important in this practice as a remedy for specific things and astrological circumstances.
Curious about the cube form though. May have something to do with counting and keeping track of the number of times the mantra has been recited (supposed to be 18,000 over 40 days)
Image credits: BillsFanChick
#38 What Are The Purpose Of The Metal Plates On The Ground In Front Of Some Of The Water Fountains At Universal Studios Orlando?
Answer: Blind people and their walking stick.
Image credits: austin0300
#39 My Grandad Dug This Up? Found In Liverpool, Possibly WW2, It Was Found With The Decoration On, What Is It?
Answer: Yea ! It’s a thing ! Called trench art , google it there will be tons of beautiful engravings on shells
Image credits: mvbeno
#40 What Is This? Was Labeled As A Xylophone? Bought For $9 At An Antique Store
Answer: Tongue drum
Image credits: Broghtworst
#41 Ditches In A Field Next To An Airport. Didn't Use To Be There Before
Answer: Before construction, they are required to look for sites of archaeological interest. This is the pattern that they use to search for those. They trench a line and the dots on each side of the trench are the dirt which has been removed
Image credits: SubArcticTundra
#42 Witt Found In A Walmart’s Men’s Restroom?
Answer: 100% a diaper dispenser. At the walmart in my town we have these in the mens bathroom with a changing table (as all businesses should)
Image credits: gospizzy
#43 This Was Found In An Area Of Colorado With A Rich History Of Mining. It Was In The Vicinity Of Other Random Abandoned Mine Equipment And I Don't Know What It Is Or What It Would Have Been Used For
Answer: this is a boiler. Specifically, this is the “pinned tube”-type heat exchanger component
Image credits: HomunculusHunk
#44 A Weird Door I Saw In The Sea Wall In Biarritz, France
Answer: it is a gate for storm water runoff that drains into the ocean
Image credits: jerrycat88
#45 Found In A Public Park/Disc Golf Course. Everything Not Screened In Is Removable. What Is It For?
Answer: It’s a bee and bug house, it’s filled with different materials for lone bugs to overwinter
Image credits: smokesletsgo420
#46 What Is This? It’s Magnetic, The Little Magnets Inside Are All Being Forced Together Against Their Natural Magnetic Pull. I Found It At Goodwill. I’m Baffled
Answer: an anti-theft tag remover
Image credits: ListyChrowder
#47 Odd Yellow Liquid Filled Balls Found Inside Of Cigarettes, Definitely Not Menthols, Cannot Break Them With Your Fingers. Found In The Tobacco, Not The Filter. Found In A Pack Of Number 7 Specials. Anyone Know What This Could Be?
Answer: Ion-exchange resin beads for filtering out bad stuff, like cyanide, in the smoke
Image credits: squidneyg
#48 Cue Ball Attached To Pool Cue?
Answer: It's so little kids can play and not destroy the table (ie ripping the felt with the cue)
Image credits: _Menace_2_Sobriety_
#49 Heavy Metal Cubes On The End Of Chain With Different Shapes On Each Side Of The Cubes. Aa Battery For Scale
Answer: Han Solo’s lucky dice
Image credits: charliebarge
#50 What Is This Appliance Built Into This Kitchen Island?
Answer: I had one of these in my kitchen and I loved it! It was near my regular sink so I could pull the faucet head over to fill the “pot” then I would turn it on to boil the water. It has a pot that goes inside it that has holes in it - like a strainer. You put the strainer inside the “sink” and then toss your items that you want to boil inside the strainer and cover it. Once your food is cooked you lift out the strainer, flip the switch and all the boiling water drains out. The biggest advantage was not having to carry a large pot of boiling water over from your regular stove top to the sink to drain out the water. I used it for boiling pasta, potatoes, corn on the cob and I loved it!! I started to have trouble with it not holding water and when I contacted Kohler the said so sorry, but the model was discontinued. It was great while it lasted!!
Image credits: california_burrito_
#51 Found On A UK Beach. Some Part Of A Nasa Space Shuttle?
Answer: Due to the "8K" I'd guess would be it was an 8 Kilobit memory module. From the size of the chip and the vintage look probably quite slow static RAM.
Image credits: Jeuflo32
#52 What Is This Slack In Power Lines? What Purpose Does It Serve?
Answer: Former CATV tech here. It's called an expansion loop. Coaxial cable (for cable tv) is mostly aluminum which expands and contracts with temperature changes moreso than the steel supporting strand to which it is attached.
If this expansion loop wasn't there, the cable would literally suck out of the compression fittings in the Winter and kink in the Summer.
Image credits: whirltraveler
#53 Clock Thing Numbered 0 Through 5 Found In Prague, Czech Republic
Answer: Water level indicator - limnigraph
Image credits: Big_Poppa_T_1437
#54 Found In A Library Book. Tape Over Staples?
Answer: Electro-magnetic security tag. So you can't just take the book out without checking it out at the desk
Image credits: mckinnos
#55 Priority Mail Addressed To My Wife At Our Exact Address From Romania. Everything Is Written In Romanian And The Letters GT Is Written On It. We Dont Even Know Anyone Outside The United States. Syringe Is Empty
Answer: This is sort of like the way you would package mushroom spores. Golden teacher aka GT is a popular strain of psychedelics
Image credits: 13131123
#56 My Mil Has Had This Thing For Years And No One In The Family Can Figure Out What It Is. Looks Like It Was Mounted On The Wall Or Something At One Point. Any Ideas?
Answer: It’s an old bee keeping tool according to google “Bees Parker's Foundation Fastener - Wooden Beekeeping tool Circa 1800's”
Image credits: chesterTHEcheese
#57 Found This In My Checked Luggage After A Flight. Have No Idea What It Is And I’m Assuming It Was Left In There By TSA? Help!
Answer: Used for wiping detection swabs over luggage or hands to detect for bombs. airport security put a swab in the end, rub it over the luggage and then scan it.
Image credits: eallison95
#58 Found This Amongst Some Charms In A Vintange Jewelry Lot I Got
Answer: It’s a Masonic Square and Compass! You’re supposed to spin it really fast and you can see it
Image credits: NsaneATheist
#59 Metal Pliers Found While Cleaning Shed. Can't Determine What This Took Is Used For (Beyond Pliers And Can Opener)
Answer: I’ve never seen one quite like that but it’s pretty cool and could be for fishing.
Beyond the obvious pliers and bottle opened, the spikey saw-like part could be a fish scaler. The pointed bit in the middle could mash lead sinkers onto fishing line
Edit: it is for fishing
Image credits: wraith9909
#60 Many Of These Washed Up On A Beach In Destin, FL USA. They Are Squishy
Answer: Sea cucumber
Image credits: gregaws
#61 Flew Through My Windshield On The Freeway
Answer: it's a swing lock from a roll off dumpster door.
Image credits: ornonbort
#62 Found This On A Decaying Stump. It’s Soft And Almost Looks Like There Are Orange Eggs Inside It
Answer: Looks like slime mold. I wonder if you look at it in a few days if it will look different. Slime molds go through stages. The orange eggs may be spores
Image credits: Grommatick
#63 Midwest House Built In Early 1900s Has A Thing On The Wall, What Is This Thing?
Answer: This is the century old equivalent to your circuit breaker panel. The two sockets on top are for screw fuses and the thing on the bottom is a knife switch like you'd see in the Frankenstein movies. The knife switch is missing it's handle which would be bolted to where the hole is in the throw arm. This is a 2 pole fused disconnect and was likely used for some large appliance like an electric stove or heater or something
Image credits: raaldiin
#64 Apartment Hunting And These Rails Are All Over. What Are They For?
Answer: I've seen them before in apartments and was told they are some type of stabilizer for earthquakes, especially in old brick buildings
Image credits: Robert-Van-Winkle
#65 Found This In An Old Crumbled House, But I Have No Clue As To What It May Be! Its From A Compagny Called « Rally »... Help Me On This Mission!
Answer: The device is being described as a "razor hone", i.e., something for sharpening single-edge razor blades. That is not correct. It is a "Rally Dry Shaver" as you will see if you google that phrase. It's sort of like a lawn mower for the face. You shave by rolling that toothed cylinder over your face. It must not have worked very well or they would have become more widely known.
Image credits: Mymyl12
#66 What Are These Brightly Coloured String-Like Things That Were Washed Up On An Australian Beach?
Answer: Sea hare eggs
Image credits: Hoisttheflagofstars
#67 Metal Two Level Platform, Found Near Road Construction
Answer: Keeps the walls from caving when they go lower than a certain depth to do work on a water main. I think 5 feet. It goes in rotated 90 degrees so it acts like a spacer for the hole they temporarily excavate.
I think. Looks a lot like the ones I saw in pictures when I took my 400 level water bureau class
Image credits: monkey_trumpets
#68 Weird Gadget In Epoxy With Suction Cup Hidden In Tiny Fake Book. My Boyfriend Doesn’t Remember Where It Came From. Does Anybody Recognize This?
Answer: Nissin Synchro-Eye Slave unit
Image credits: liveanimals
#69 Small Hard ‘Pellet’ Found Inside A Cooked King Crab Leg, Roughly The Size Of A Pea
Answer: crab pearl
Image credits: reddit.com
#70 Found This Washed Up On A Beach In Massachusetts. It’s Wooden And Looks Handcrafted. Maybe A Piece Of A Chair?
Answer: It looks like a Davis Quadrant or Backstaff, a navigational instrument predecessor of the sextant. Maybe you should take that to a museum, with nautical expertise
Image credits: reddit.com
#71 Help! Neighbor’s Kid Was Almost Impaled By Something That Kicked Up On The Road While Riding Passenger. About 2.5’-3’ In Length With A Small Rotational Piece At The Bottom You Can See. What Is This Thing?
Answer: It’s a spike for advertisement flags. The feather shaped ones that are on the verge at the side of the road. I think anyway. The flag pole should slide over the chunky end that sits at the end
Image credits: reddit.com
#72 I Found It While Biking A Trail, Smells God Awful And Is Making A Strange Buzzing Noise
Answer: Mosquito trap - testing for west Nile
Image credits: reddit.com
#73 Cut Open My Ceiling To Repair Some Drywall And This Started Falling Out, Somewhat Squishy And There Was A Lot Of It
Answer: This is a type of insulation called zonolite, it was used to insulate homes in America since the 1940’s and it DOES contain ASBESTOS
Image credits: reddit.com
#74 Saw This On The Side Of A Truck While Driving. Was Not Able To Get Close Enough To Read What Is Says. Yellow Box Hanging By Suction Cup With Wire To Back Of Box. Two Blinking Red Lights On It As Well
Answer: Retroreflectometer
Image credits: reddit.com
#75 Some Sort Of Soft, Spongy Thing From The Ocean Found On The Beach
Answer: Pufferfish skeleton
Image credits: reddit.com
#76 Miniature Christmas Ornaments Made Of Pewter
Answer: charm bracelet charms
Image credits: reddit.com
#77 This Is In The Middle Of A Cornfield. There’s A Sign Saying To Not Stop Within 400 Feet Of It, And It Was Making A Buzzing Sound
Answer: It’s a VOR - Very-high frequency, omnidirectional range navigation station for aircraft
Image credits: reddit.com
#78 My Dentist Gave This To Me After A Checkup. How Do I Use... Whatever This Is?
Answer: You put it on the end of your toothpaste tube and slowly move it up the tube to squeeze the toothpaste out.
Image credits: __Gynotarian__
#79 I Received This In The Mail From Uzbekistan. I Have Never Ordered Anything From There Or China. Are These Truly From Bananas? Is This Part Of The Black Market?
Answer: This is called Brushing. It's a scam other countries run by sending out near worthless items so they can pad their store ratings/make it look like they have more orders than they do.
Image credits: soy_gata
#80 Found While Helping A Friend Clean Out A House
Answer: Specifically it is a Wilesco Steam Engine
Image credits: the-d-man
#81 Got This As A Prize In A Christmas Cracker With No Instructions, Just A Few Sharp Hooks?
Answer: It's a needle threader
Image credits: nammo30
#82 What Kinds Of Fossils Are These? Found In The 60s On A Farm In Texas
Answer: Crinoids
Image credits: iced_milk
#83 Found This In Grandpas Box Of Old Things. Might Be From Asia Because Of The 3rd Eye? Any Ideas?
Answer: This was part of a set of premiums for malted milk. Very cool but not very exotic.
Image credits: reddit.com
#84 This Strange Clearcut Sundown. Spotted In Denmark, One Minute Past Sundown. What's This Weather Phenomenon Called?
Answer: That could be the shadow from a vertical development cloud, such as a Cumulonimbus cloud. It can be thick enough to cast that kind of shadow!
Image credits: reddit.com
#85 Found In The Bathroom, Open And Close Sort Of Like Tweezers But Not Much Grip
Answer: Tongue scraper.
Image credits: reddit.com
#86 Pulled This Out Of My Shoe, Sierra Foothills Tulare Co.
Answer: Looks like a cactus barb to me, see a lot of those in Arizona. I call them zip tie cacti but I believe it's called a fishhook barrel cactus.
Image credits: reddit.com
#87 Found This In My Tuna But Not Sure What It's From
Answer: That's a tuna egg sack. Or at least part of one. Totally edible, but can't vouch for the taste.
Image credits: reddit.com
#88 Are My Parents Neighbours Engaging In Psychological Warfare? This Is Attached To A Dolly Pointed In Their Yard And Sounds A Very Loud Alarm Twice A Day For 10 Minutes. What Is It?
Answer: Looks to be a vibrating horn (maybe 874 series) made by Edwards signaling. Data sheet states an output of 103dB. These type of horns are usually used in an individual setting where ambient noise is high.
I would guess the neighbor has hooked it up to cause a disturbance or just to be a general nuisance.
Image credits: whalegut
#89 Found In My Fiance's Backyard, It's Sitting There Since The 90's
Answer: looks like an aircraft drop tank. If so, it's inert and harmless except for whatever creepy-crawlies might have taken up residence inside. It doesn't look like any of the common NATO or Soviet free-fall aerial bombs, on account of the "fins" being so small.
Image credits: samu126
#90 My Grandma Found This Weird Ceramic Dog In Her Yard
Answer: It’s a liquor or sake dispenser. Missing the tiny cups or shot glasses that hang from the spikes on its back. Here is another example.
Image credits: Send-Me-Pics-of-Dogs
#91 What Is This X-Shape On The Wall, Often Seen Around Old Farms/Barns/Stables?
Answer: It’s the anchor plate of a “tie” - a big steel rod that stops the walls from bowing outward. Often added to older buildings to help keep them together.
Image credits: Feggy
#92 I've Had This For Like 15 Years. I Used To Use While Playing Soldier As A Kid. No Idea What It Is. It Looks As Though It May Be Something That Drops From An Aircraft. What Is This Thing?
Answer: You have a piece of Vietnam war history, these devices were used in operation Igloo White, this particular piece appears to be either a ADSID (Air Delivered Seismic Intrusion Detector) or a ACOUSID (Acoustic and Seismic Intrusion Detector). The camouflage paint left over is original, as the whole point of these devices was to listen and not be found by the enemy.
These did not contain explosives, so it's safe to keep.
Image credits: Master_Rongutong
#93 Found At A Beach. It's Empty And Lightweight But Quite Solid. It Got A Hole At Each Side
Answer: It’s a bead, probably from Indian jewelry. I own some and this looks similar.
Image credits: Boogg1e
#94 My Late Grandfather Was A Hungarian Politician In The Communist Era. Do You Have Any Information About These Pins?
Answer: Top two are 1980 olympics pins. Lower left says Odessa and lower right says 1919 which looks like some Soviet anniversary pin but it’s after the inception of the communist party and before the Soviet Union formed
Image credits: Rik03
#95 Found 14 Years Ago In A Hole In A Log On Dallas Road Beach In Victoria, Bc, Canada. A Mystery That Remains Unsolved
Answer: Pieces from an art installation http://www.dianathompson.net/2nd_Nature/kag.html
Image credits: Strathspey
#96 What Is This?? It Is Not A Pen, The Tip Is Sharp Metal And Doesn’t Write. No Place For Ink Or Graphite Or Anything. All One Cohesive Piece With A Plastic Cap. What Is It For?
Answer: Looks like a scriber. They're used to make lines or marks on metal, wood, or a number of other materials. That looks like a metalworking one to me but may not be that specific.
Image credits: spitoongoon
#97 This Old Hand Tool My Father Found
Answer: Appears to be a bladed ice chipper.
Image credits: Aahzimandias
#98 What Is This. Found In A Floor In Central Texas
Answer: Its used to tension chains and connect two together, its combined with a handle sort of thing that you push up and down to put more tension on the chain, we use them on the farm but in a smaller scale, wish i could give you an exact name
Image credits: jacetx
#99 What Is This Thing My Mom Found, It's About 15 Inches Long And Has Wood, Embroidery Floss, Wire And Maybe Grass And Seems Vintage
Answer: Looks similar to a Burmese Buddha fan
Image credits: spacespacedream
#100 What Is This Button On The Bottom Of The Door Of My Parents Apartment? Makes An Audible Click When It Closes, Can't Seem Work Out What It Does Though
Answer: Its a drop seal. When the door closes the button pushes a bar down to close the gap between the floor and the door. Its to protect against smoke during a fire while minimizing any friction to the operation of the door.
Image credits: djiordje
#101 Swiss Autobahn Retaining Wall Has Square Protrusions And Panels That Look Like They Can Be Opened
Answer: The squares are structural reinforcing members that anchor the panels into the earth behind. They help shore up the wall and resist moment forces from the soil from toppling the retaining wall. There are also some through drains too I’m sure, just not the main square things.
Image credits: verruckt12
#102 My Friends Grandfather Has Been Using These For Years As Doorstops, He Thinks They May Be Grenades Of Some Sort But Can't Work Anything Out From The Engraving
Answer: Artillery expert here.
That is a 40x304mmR practice flatheaded shot (solid projectile) from the WW2 era British QF 2-pdr No.2 anti-tank gun.
Since it's a solid shot it's not an UXO and it should have a small hole in the base for the tracer, now, hopefully, empty. Yours has also been fired, as evidenced by the imprinted rotating band.
Image credits: OhF**kNotDan
#103 Bunch Of Wooden Spikes, No Numbers Or Word Of Them?
Answer: They're splicing fids for splicing ropes together. You drive the spike between the strands of the rope so you can fit a strand of a different rope through.
Source: used them both on tallships and bell ringing for that exact purpose.
Image credits: jobaill
#104 This Thing Was In The Beach Near A Lighthouse, Asturias, Spain
Answer: Fog horns for when the lighthouse is occluded.
Image credits: alexmp00
#105 Found At A Scrapyard From A Building Demolition. Slightly Radioactive
Answer: It's a jack shaft on a 90 degree arm. The hinged flat pieces are likely mounting and stabilizing points for attachment to the rest of the machine. It's chain driven and probably used as a link point for a conveyor belt.
Image credits: wh173r4bb17
#106 Red Gem-Like Thing That Glows When Switched On. Apartment Built In 1948
Answer: It is an indicator lamp. It simply provides a very noticeable indicator that the switch is turned on. Usually used for switches that control something that is out of view, like an outdoor or basement light or possibly a furnace.
Image credits: oihua
#107 This Bundle Of White And Purple Bulbs Emerged From Underground In My Garden In Denver Today. The Bulbs Are 2-4 Inches Each In Size And Oozing A Thick Glossy Liquid
Answer: stinkhorn fungi
Image credits: bongojamblogian
#108 Witt In A Lake In Ohio? Drains Into A Big Pipe At The Bottom Of A Hill
Answer: That’s the overflow control mechanism so the lakes waters don’t get too high, it’s called a glory hole ( for real) Edit- apparently that’s just the name for a specific one in Cali, so I’m not sure what their actual name is
Image credits: canstac
#109 Dog With Little Bundles Of Paper(?) In It’s Fur
Answer: The ends of its very long silky coat are wrapped and protected by those. Often seen in very long coated show dogs when they are out of the show ring and the hair needs to be out if the way, kept tangle-free and clean.
Image credits: Stellanboll
#110 I Inherited This From My Grandpa. It Probably Belonged To My Great Grandpa. What Are The Tools Used For? Drawing? It Came With A Vintage How To Sketch Book
Answer: Vintage drafting kit
Image credits: muffintestine
#111 Several Roles Of This Were Donated To A Thrift Store I Volunteer At. It Doesn't Have Any Adhesive And Is Kinda Waxy Feeling
Answer: They are thorn guard strips, meant to be mounted inside bicycle tires, between inside of the tire casing and the innertube
Image credits: reddit.com
#112 Old Medal Found While Digging In A Garden At A Farm In Eastern Iowa. Wondering About Origin, Age, And Significance
Answer: Jefferson Napoleon Jugate Cloisonné 1904 worlds fair medallion pinback badge pin
Image credits: Samdog1982
#113 Found On Google Maps In The Yukon/Delta Region In Alaska, Went Back To Look For It Agaun After Screen Shot But Couldn't Find Anything. What Is It?
Answer: Remnants of an old radio array. Located just east of Tok, Alaska
Image credits: reddit.com
#114 Witt: Fixed Binoculars I Picked Up From A Garage Sale
Answer: These are likely for the theatre. Seats near the back of the auditorium i.e. further away from the stage have these in a coin-operated holder fixed to the seat in front
Image credits: HAK_YT
#115 These Pictures Were Taken Near My Hometown Yesterday. I’ve Never Seen A Little Halo Above A Cloud Like This. What Is This Thing?
Answer: It’s a pileus cloud illuminated from behind.
Image credits: zwillc92
#116 Cones Of Dunshire Found In German Supermarket?
Answer: It's a so called "Schultüte". When children have their first day of school, they get it filled by their parents with gifts and sweets
Image credits: hullguy1
#117 Medal Found In My Nana's Belongings. Written On The Back Is "The Great War For Civilisation"
Answer: The Victory Medal
Image credits: Lyzrd_Hangover
#118 Found In Old Shed, Is It What It Looks Like? Inside Is Empty
Answer: Looks like a mortar round. Maybe not an active one since it's all shiny
Image credits: Rowbart93
#119 I Got A Bag Containing 6 Of These From China. I Have No Idea Why! What Are They?
Answer: Rose of Jericho (Resurrection Plant, Dinosaur Plant, Jericho Rose)
Image credits: JudiasGoldberg
#120 I Was Cutting My Watermelon And Was Confused When I Saw These Hard Stems In It, Does Anyone Know What It Is?
Answer: That happens when it is stressed during growing. Likely due to drought, the fruit got messed up inside. It’s technically edible, but likely doesn’t taste very good
Image credits: Peter_g3
#121 Found In The Woods Behind My House... Definitely Not A Real Gun, But I Haven't The Foggiest Of What It Might Be. Based On The Rust And The Fact That I've Lived Here For 22 Years, It Has To Be At Least 30+ Years Old... I'm Thinking Maybe Even 50+
Answer: Buck Rogers disintegrator
Image credits: I-Love-Making-U-Rage
#122 My Boyfriend Found This In His Backyard. It Appears To Be A Medal Of Some Sort? Theres Nothing On The Back Of It
Answer: Definitely a hub cap for a carriage wheel. The flange is at the surface of the hub and the decorated area is pressed back in.
Probably fell off a carriage at some point and no one noticed.
Edit: it would have been on the end of the axle/hub to prevent grease from leaking out onto the wheel.
2nd edit: it also may have been purely decorative if the wheel was solidly fixed to the axle.
Image credits: Lilwest
#123 What Is This One-Meter Tall Octagonal Thing?
Answer: Ga-ga pit for ga-ga ball
Image credits: AlanEsh
#124 Found This Out In The Woods
Answer: It is a steam boiler. Maybe from a train engine, or more likely, maybe from a building used for heat or some kind of power for mining operation.
Image credits: MFH3080
#125 Can Be Used For Wood Working, Been In My Family Garage For Years. Is It A Type Of Nut? Or Something More Profound?
Answer: banksia pod
Image credits: ryan4loco
#126 Found This Thing On The Beach. Its Solid And Smells Like Seaweed, What Is It?
Answer: Codium bursa is a green marine algae of medium size.
Image credits: Oromandi
#127 Bought Decades Ago, Never Truly Known What It Is Or Its True Purpose
Answer: Dieesl Horst Kompensator
Image credits: Olivertos
#128 What Is This Metal Lump? Shines Very Bright Under Light. Almost Blinding To Look At. Weight: 264 Grams And M 12 Etched On The Side
Answer: Looks like the top of a silicon boule
Image credits: SkillDrew
#129 What Are These Shallow Holes With Webs In My Garden? A Bunch Of Them Showed Up This Morning
Answer: a grass spider nest
Image credits: maxpaver
#130 1 Through 300 Metal Tags Found In An Old (1920s)ice Box. The Copper Wires Are There Just To Hold The Whole Stack Together
Answer: They look like locker numbers
Image credits: crinnaursa
#131 An Unknown Rocket-Like Object Is Being Transported By A Barge Along The Don River, Russia
Unswer: I think that's a distillation column for refining something like crude oil
Image credits: reddit.com
#132 Found It In A River, Have No Clue What It Is. Please Help
Answer: Colt Glass black powder flask/horn
Image credits: reddit.com
#133 Weird Luminescent Red Thing On The Beach In A Lightning Storm
Answer: it’s a kite string with LEDs attached to it. The guy uses red LEDs so as to not interfere with the turtles. I wasn’t able to see the kite originally since the winds had it out of my view (today I saw the light up kite at the end too). The fact it was flying during a lightning storm was not relevant
Image credits: reddit.com
#134 Purchased In Djibouti, Was Told Something About Ancient Sailing
Answer: it's an astrolabe
Image credits: reddit.com
#135 What The Heck Is This Jelly Like Object From Ainsdale Beach, North West UK!
Answer: Squid eggs
Image credits: reddit.com
#136 Weird Metal Worm Squiggle, Found In The Kitchen. What Is This Thing?!
Answer: a metal bookmark
Image credits: reddit.com
#137 What Are These Characters Found On The Back Side Of A Sign On A Woodland Trail In Alaska
Answer: It's Stafir Móti Aðsókn an Icelandic magical sigil/stave to protect against ghosts and evil spirits
Image credits: reddit.com
#138 Brass Object, Has A Screw That Slides Up The Side And Pushes A Wire Out The Top??? We're Stumped
Answer: It is for cleaning out a breech plug in a blackpowder muzzleloader
Image credits: reddit.com
#139 Cylinder With Hole With Wire Brush Metal Inside. Witt?
Answer: Car battery terminal cleaner
Image credits: reddit.com
#140 On December I Took A Trip To Meet My Family In Guerrero, Mexico. My Grandmas Boyfriend Talked About Finding These #146 While Out For Walks In Water Streams. He Has Collected Them Over The Years. What Is It?
Answer: The round ones are spindle whorls or malacates, used for making thread.
The other ones are fragments of figurines. Looks like they were molded. Typology might give you a date if you have an expert look at them. Two of them are anthropomorphic (they represent faces), the third (the one in the upper right corner) could be zoomorphic, although it may also just be an abstract decoration on a broken support of a vessel.
Image credits: Dojacatsside19
#141 Found On A Beach In Iceland. It's Very Heavy (Ca 80kgs) And The Inside Seems To Be Made Of Copper Trapped In Cast Iron
Answer: So I can't tell you exactly what it is but it looks like a large valve through which liquid or gas would flow. My guess is industrial-size liquid valve since copper is/was used for those types of applications. Maybe off an old freighter ship or from a factory or mechanical substation or pipeline near the water?
Image credits: reddit.com
#142 Found On The Shoreline Of A Beach In The Scottish Isles. They Were Scattered, Not In One Area. Feel Like Glass, One Clear And The Rest Black. The One That Has A Line Has Equal Lines All The Way Around
Answer: Pretty sure the black ones are carbon rods from batteries. They are a quite common find while beachcombing.
Image credits: reddit.com
#143 Was Always Weirded Out By This Statue. Found In A House With Other Goat Statues Throughout
Answer: Looks like art by Frank Fleming. Google "birmingham al 5 points south fountain statue"
Or google "frank fleming statues"
Image credits: Bornslippynuxx2769
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