I’m constantly amazed by how many strange, random things exist out in the world. What amazes me more is how people can readily identify these weird things, even if they aren’t that common .
The internet crowd is especially good at identifying mystery items. They were able to come up with the right answers for these strange finds, after all.
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“What is this thing hanging outside my fireplace. It seems to have gears inside of it, and pivots into the fireplace.”
According to Reddit user sawyouoverthere, “it’s a clockwork spit turner for turning a roast or other meat automatically.” That’s definitely not what my first guess would’ve been. Then again, I may not have even had a first guess to begin with.
“Piece of metal that was found today. Roughly 8.5 inches long with the words inscribed saying, ‘Sargent & co. No.25’ I believe. The grooves in the item feel like it’s some type of file.”
According to Reddit user MsMargo, “Sargent & Co. was a hardware, lock, and tool manufacturing company founded in 1810 in NY, but later moved to Connecticut.” They also ended up identifying this item as part of a “barn door roller.” It must be nice, knowing things.
“A strange metal container with a lock and a hole in the front and the word ‘Nelson’ on it. The back has a dial reading just under 22 with no units.”
The angle of the picture makes this thing look a lot bigger than it actually is, but a bunch of Reddit commenters were still able to identify it as a lock for a shipping container. Easy peasy.
“Red box with transformer in it hanging off a fence.”
It’s some kind of electrical component, and it was found on a fence. I think that the handful of Reddit commenters that came out to guess that this is a transformer to power and electric fence may be onto something.
“What is this small box my friend found outside her apartment? It was beeping loudly for a few minutes and then stopped.”
Well, let’s see. It’s a small tag that says “security” on it. I’m willing to bet that it’s some kind of security tag.
And what do you know? It looks like the Reddit comments agree with me, too. It must’ve come off of an item that was either shipped or stolen (hopefully not stolen, though).
“What’s this machinery? Old shed was torn down in rural Japan and three of these things were inside. They are big metal spool type things mounted on the ground.”
Reddit user Specific_Situation_7 knew right away that this thing is a tool called a percussion screw press. They were even kind enough to explain what it does:
“A percussion screw press is basically a powered screw press… The tasks this type of press could be used for are for example: Cold forging, hot forging, stamping, cutting, folding, etc..”
“Ornate silver top with plastic pegs on bottom.”
Reddit user BruceGrembowski was the one with the right answer this time.
“It’s a three-pronged cheese holder, so right at home on a charcuterie board!” Why is it that I’m suddenly craving cheese and crackers?
“This is attached to the fence outside a tennis court. About 4 feet long. The ‘wiffle golf ball’ slide along the length of the metal rod.”
Reddit user Mackin-N-Cheese didn’t know the answer for sure, but had a really good theory: “My wild guess is that it might hold a tennis racket, and you’d slide the ball to mark who has the court next. But that’s complete speculation.” And of course, that was right?
“What is this wall hanger supposed to hold? In the garage/workshop of a house I just bought.”
This is one of those things that you definitely wouldn’t know if you haven’t seen one before, but becomes pretty obvious once you learn what it is. In this case, it’s a bike rack, like the kind that hangs a bike up by the wheel.
“Steel pot with bamboo handle, a glass top and a removable central column with some kind of ‘filter?'”
To me, this looks like some kind of weird tea infuser.
As it turns out, I was kind of close. The Reddit comment section under this post knew this was a coffee percolator. They also decided to start debating on what method of coffee making was the best, but that’s besides the point.
“Silver coil with what seems to be a plug at the end.”
It looks like some kind of heating element to me. According to Reddit user jackrats, it’s an element that’s specifically meant for a tea kettle. It’s nice when you actually know some of these things, isn’t it?
“Pair of Rocket launcher looking tube devices found in woodland near Dewsbury, UK.”
Reddit user Tronderbart was quick to identify what kind of armaments these things are. They’re “LAW 80 light Anti tank Tubes.” Some soldiers probably left them behind at some point. Only thing to do now is report these things to the authorities.
“Small vintage figurine. Metal and enamel. Found in my grandparents house while cleaning out their estate. Want to know what this is/what it’s for.”
Reddit user No-Possibility-8697 commented, “Looks like a vintage saccharin holder .” And that’s exactly what it is.
Seriously, though, how do people always seem to know these things?
“Small porcelain bowl from WWII era Japan.”
Reddit user trekkerscout confirmed that this is, in fact, a sake cup. Which would make sense, since it’s from Japan (which is where sake is also from).
They went on to say, “That type of sake cup is for decorative or ceremonial purposes only. It isn’t for everyday use.” That would explain why it looks extra nice.
“‘PRCSRERITY’ money clip? Is it some vintage souvenir?”
It looks to me like it’s supposed to say “prosperity,” but got printed wrong.
Which is… probably true. According to Redditor CriscoWithLime, this thing is more likely to be a bookmark than a money clip, which seems true.
“What are these black dots [from] my bed?”
There were a lot of different theories, from lint to bug droppings. But the actual answer ended up being ash from the chimney. Apparently, OP’s chimney wasn’t closed properly while they were having an outdoor bonfire, and some of the ash made its way into their bedroom.
Well, at least it wasn’t bug droppings.
“A bended metal tool with notches and holes. Wooden handle. The end part is fixed (doesn’t rotate).”
I probably never would’ve guessed what this thing was in a million years. Luckily, I don’t have to guess, because Reddit user Fawksie already gave us the right answer. It’s a “barbecue/grill rack scraper.”
“Tubular cast iron structure sticking out of the ground, stamped ‘patented June 16, 85.’ There were trolley tracks here until the 1960s if that has anything to do with it.”
Reddit user raineykatz decided to try their hand at finding the right answer: “My best guess is this was a mount for an old street fire alarm box.” Oh, and the ’85 is probably 1885, not 1985, which would make a lot of sense.
“Handheld, liquid-filled plastic device with solar panel AND battery, a transparent part and button related to temperature. Wiring and microchip visible inside.”
There was a lot of speculation on what this thing could be, including remote or thermometer. But at the end of the day, thermometer seems to be the right answer.
“Indian brass with a bell? What is this called and what is its purpose? My grandparents were military and moved a lot. Bottom says made in India. No other details.”
According to Redditor shubidoobi, “The 3-piece item is called a pikdan. It is a spittoon – to collect spit. Used to spit when smoking a hookah, and eating paan (betel leaf), chewing supari (areca nut) or tobacco.” Who would’ve thought?
“Found at auction, labelled as ‘medical.’ Steel (?) helmet-looking thing that’s big enough to cover the nose of the wearer.”
As soon as I see the word “medical,” my mind just goes to bedpan. Fortunately, this isn’t a bedpan. Unfortunately, as a few Reddit commenters pointed out, it’s part of a device called a dental phantom (which is just as scary-looking as it sounds).
According to user Timo_Tuokkola, it’s a “training aid. It allows dental students to practice drilling, filling and extracting teeth before they work on live patients.”
“What is this notch-like shape on various liquor/spirit bottles?”
This may not be a totally bizarre find, but it’s something I’ve actually wondered for a really long time. I’m glad someone out there took the initiative to ask.
Redditor haynate14 said, “It’s a functional notch for machinery that fills and labels or decorates the bottle.” Mystery solved!
“Beautiful wooden objects with no obvious use.”
It’s hard to say what these things could be, but a few Reddit users found out that they’re bowls? I’m sure they’re more for décor and less for eating soup out of, though.
“What is this silicone sleeve with jagged edges and bumps inside?”
“It’s a garlic peeler. You put the garlic cloves in it and roll it and it removes the skin,” said Reddit user HiBrainYo. That’s actually so cool! And here I was, peeling my garlic by hand like a chump.
“Found this in Russia whilst driving around in Google maps, made out of rusted iron, seems to be pickable with a crane, seems mildly radioactive.”
According to Reddit user gefloible: “Image searching leads me to the Beta-M, a radioisotope thermoelectric generator.” Apparently it contains Strontium-90, so it is, in fact, radioactive. Weird.
“Clear plastic sheet thingy bolted to the ceiling. What is it?”
Once again, I’m amazed that anyone could know what this thing is. But Reddit user Sheffieldsvc had the whole lowdown: “That is 100% a Tandberg Audioscience ceiling microphone. They were designed to cover a large area of a room and sold with their videoconferencing equipment.” Like, whaaat?
“Solar powered sensors on poles along side the road.”
Before anyone could even comment on this post, OP figured it out for themselves: “these are bus stop indicators for the automated bus.” Yeah, I guess self-driving buses are a thing now, and they need to know where to stop and stuff.
“A wooden box 165 x 145x 20mm with compartments – well made with LC and UC written on the side in pen… Has cotton wool in the lid with 5mm round indentations in.”
This one took a lot of back and forth between the comment section and OP, but they eventually figured out that it’s a box for holding tuning forks. There are 13 slots of different lengths for each of the 13 notes in an octave (including sharps/flats).
“There were some guys who worked in between our 2 ponds in our apartment complex and when they left there were 2 boxes?”
According to Reddit user srandrews, these boxes are used to help aerate the pond water, which is good for a bunch of different reasons (because still water isn’t good). No big mystery or conspiracy here!
“Dark gray soft rubber about the diameter of a nickel, 6” long.”
This is another case where OP figured it out without the help of the internet, but decided to share the right answer with us anyway. It’s a protective covering for a curling iron, according to their daughter’s friend.
