One thing I love about the internet is the amount of information you can access on it. Sure, it can be overwhelming at times, but that just means you can probably figure anything out.
And if you don’t know where to start, just ask. Like how these people asked people what these strange objects were, and got some satisfying answers. All thanks to the world wide web!
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“Keychain thing, the left red part slides in and out and the black part is like felt over a piece of foam that has been folded in half and slipped into the right red part.”
Yeah, I’d be staring at this thing all day and still not be able to figure out what it is. Redditor kineretic, however, knew it off the bat. Apparently, the tab on the left is a phone stand, while the one on the right can clean the screen.
“What is this insert that is the exact size of the bottom of my kitchen sink with a cutout that appears to be for the faucet?”
My guess is that it’s the part of the counter they cut out to fit the sink. But I’m probably wrong about that.
Oh. As it turns out, that’s actually right. At least, that’s what the Reddit comments seem to think, in any case.
“Some sort of possible game I came across. Golden metal disks fall into different point bins. Putting a disk into the frog goes to 4000. The three front things are metal paddles that flip around freely.”
It clearly has to be some kind of game, right?
Thanks to ponytail1961 on Reddit, we know this is something called a Perus sapo game. Weird.
“What is this plug? Its prongs are perpendicular and much smaller than a normal plug’s prongs. It’s attached to a Fisher Mt-853 record player.”
So, there were a few Reddit users who knew the answer to this one. Apparently it’s a very specific plug for a very specific kind of stereo? Weird, but I guess that makes sense.
“Crumpled Metal thing about 4ft found in Potomac river.”
I’m not going to lie, I thought it was some kind of deflated air mattress for a second (even though it’s made of metal).
But according to ph3l0n on Reddit, it’s a crumpled gas tank for a motor boat. How the heck did it end up away from the boat?
“Found in a relative’s workshop. I assume it’s a tool and at least 20 years old. It’s about 10cm in the biggest dimension and made of metal.”
CockroachJohnson got the answer to Reddit pretty quickly: “Wire bending die. Used to make d-rings and s-hooks and the like.” I guess that kind of makes sense? Either way, that’s one more mystery solved!
“Tall structure built on rural Aussie coastline with metal fins.”
There was, like, a weird amount of back and forth on this thing online. And while they may not have been 100% sure about this one, the Reddit community is leaning toward this thing being some kind of navigation reflector.
“Belt on the inside of jacket with loops on the inside, not outside.”
So, according to the Reddit comments on this pic, some jackets come with little straps to help you carry it when you get too hot to actually wear it. That’s seriously so cool, and I really hope it starts coming on more jackets!
“Iron lid, looks like designed to hold something under pressure inside.”
Whatever it is, I probably wouldn’t touch it. Just in case.
Shilas, the person who posted the picture, ended up figuring it out. It’s a “maintenance-free amplification point for telecoms.” I still probably wouldn’t go and touch it, though.
“Old rusted grill or smoker type device.”
This is one of those super niche, super specific things that people randomly know about.
Reddit user reflected_shadow identified it, though. “This is Candy Stove. Usually a copper pot is used to heat a candy mixture to the desired softball or hardball stage.” So random!
“I found this small white ball with a blinking red light while emptying out my purse but I have no idea where it came from/what it is.”
It’s obviously some kind of light. But what kind exactly? Well, Redditor aquariummmm knew the answer to that, saying that it’s an LED party light. These things can apparently be used for a lot of different party/decorative things.
“Some form of clock or timing device.”
It is, in fact, a clock. According to a few Reddit commenters, it’s a stopwatch for night watchmen. They have a slot in them so that the watchmen can insert keys from each station to log the time they get there. Pretty neat.
“Strange tool found in our Airbnb kitchen. Pressing buttons on sides ‘opens’ it. What is this used for?”
It kind of looks like some kind of shaving razor. But it obviously can’t be that.
According to Redditor wizofsaturn, “It’s a detachable handle for Tefal oven proof range of kitchen pans.” Makes sense.
“Looks like a small wooden ladder with a curved blade on the end. Probably some kind of farming/wine making tool. Found in Slovenia. 70×30 cm.”
I swear, half of these things are strange kitchen tools, while the other half are strange farming tools. In this case, it’s a tool used for lifting hay bales. At least, that what Redditor muddyriverstates said, which makes sense.
“Hollow brass “walking stick” with spring loaded spike.”
This is one of those super specific things that, like, one or two people would happen to know about.
In this case, JinxRemoving75 on Reddit had the answer: “My dad had something similar. The pole held weed killer. The pin kind of locked your aim on a weed. You pushed the pole down and a dose of poison dropped on the weed and then the pole sprung back up.”
“USFS structure in rural area – door opens, nothing inside.”
Even though this thing looks kind of strange and mysterious, it really isn’t anything too special. Thanks to Reddit user roosterb4, we now know that it’s nothing more than an old-timey cooktop for outdoor cooking. The door is where the fire goes, I guess.
“Found this stylus-like object, about 4 inches long. Tapered on one end, and both ends are similarly shaped while differing in size.”
A surprising amount of Reddit users were able to identify this thing pretty quickly. It’s an acupressure/massage rod. Not the explanation I’d expect, but I can believe it.
“Small zippered portion on the top of my indoor tent? inside only, no entry to the outside.”
Some people thought it could be an insert for bug repellant, but the real answer ended up being something a lot more surprising. Believe it or not, it’s an insert for a fan! Seriously, who would’ve thought?
“Took cover plate off light switch and this is under it. Feels like sawdust, but more ‘springy.'”
Usually, when you find dust-like stuff inside your walls and outlets, it ends up being frass (bug droppings).
And most everyone in the Reddit comments is convinced that it’s frass of some kind. Whether it’s from termites or carpenter ants, though, is a whole other story.
“What’s this screen for at the bottom of my new bucket at work?”
This one seemed to be a pretty easy solve. Reddit user gn_like_lasagna discovered that it was a Grit Guard:
“The Grit Guard insert sits in the bottom of the pail to extract particles and contaminants from mitts and brushes. Gravity causes sand and dirt to settle below the guard so the wash water stays scratch-free clean.”
“I have these two shelves built into the wall near the floor within two rooms of my home. They’re just above the baseboards. Did these serve a function other than shelves at some point? Built in 1953.”
According to Redditor mrBill12, there was probably a radiator in that spot at one point, and now it’s shelving. Problem sovled!
“WITT? 3M sticky tape on one side, hinges out. Hinges aren’t strong.”
My first thought was that it was some kind of cheap pop socket. And from the looks of all the Reddit comments, that’s got to be what it is. After all, everyone in the comments said the same thing I did.
“What is this plastic triangle with a magnet in each edge?”
This is one of those things that you’d be able to identify easily if you knew it, but would be super confused if you didn’t.
In this case, according to multiple Reddit commenters, it’s part of one of those magnetic building toy sets.
“Pen with ruler on it has 1/300m graduated scale. What is this scale from?”
This is another one of those super specific things that probably, like, a couple of people in the world would even know about.
Bat_Flu on Reddit said, “I think it is a novelty scale ruler. Allows you to read the dimensions of things at certain scales.” And that’s exactly what it was!
“Weird key, not sure what it goes to.”
Reddit user Marden027 came in with a really quick answer: “Key to bypass wards on a tubular lock.” And that’s really it. I may not know what a tubular lock is, but that’s definitely a convincing answer. Glad to see another mystery solved.
“Found in the bottom of my dryer while I was fixing it.”
I don’t know about you, but I’d be pretty nervous about any random object I found at the bottom of my dryer.
According to Reddit user -Axiom-, “It’s the drive belt tensioner. The drum won’t spin without it.” Guess it still needs some fixing.
“What is this baking pan? It has two parts that lock into place and the ones in the middle are shallower wells.”
I have no clue what this thing is, but it looks cool!
Reddit user The1Mia’s explanation really makes sense: “It makes cups. Batter goes in like normal but a little less then the top is placed on so the batter bakes in a cup shape.”
“Possible farm implement? Found buried in my back yard. Southwestern Ontario.”
So, it looks like these are some kind of callipers. Reddit user GreyShuck had this to say. “I’d suggest combined inside and outside callipers, but I must say that I have not seen a combination quite like that before.” I guess this thing must be pretty uncommon.
“Need help identifying this small plastic thing. It is adhesive on the back, pops up on hinges from flat position.”
Just like a surprising amount of other items on this list, this little thing is a phone stand. I guess there’s a market for differently-shaped phones stands in the world. Probably better than just leaning your phone on things.
“What is this vehicle? Seen at Penryn Bay, North Wales, UK. No other images as this was the only photo sent by a friend.”
According to the Reddit comments (which are actually really informative and surprisingly accurate), this little vehicle is some kind of probing/testing mechanism. It’s probably just taking soil samples or something like that.
