Do you ever find something random and think, “what the heck is this?” It’s especially weird when it’s something you find in your own house, but it’s still weird when you find some unknown thing in the wild.
These people had no clue what they’d found. So they did the sensible thing and asked the internet about them. Luckily, they got answers.
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“Found buried (not too deep) in my backyard. It’s very heavy, the non-pointed side looks like there was a wire there at some point.”
Apparently, this thing is called a plumb bob (which is apparently a real thing and not just the thing that floats above your Sims’ head). From the comment section on Reddit, it looks like it’s used for structural measurements?
“Clear, shiny film. Disintegrates when I touch it. Has no smell. Almost looks like tinsel.”
Reddit user parttimepedant had a pretty quick (and kind of gross) answer. It’s a trail left by either a snail or a slug. How it got in there…who knows? But at least not the person who posted the photo can try to solve the problem?
“This rubber button in my 2007 Ford Focus mk2 1.6 petrol. Seems to be important as there is a blank on the opposite side.”
Yeah, I’d have no idea what it is either. Thankfully, there are people out there who know these kinds of things.
“It’s a fuel shut off reset button/solenoid. Should you be in a crash it activates and won’t let the car restart until it’s returned to the position it was before,” Redditor Khaotik18 writes.
“Mowing the yard and ran over something that looks like a bunch of rolled up strips of aluminum foil on brownish no sticky tape. Some of it is a long rolled up section, others are like multiple strips stacked together.”
A lot of people on Reddit had theories about what this stuff could’ve once been.
Redditor subitodan says, “Looks like that metal tape for HVAC or roofing that has the rubber backing.” This one seems to be the winning answer.
“A tiny Ottoman? A stout stool?”
I’m not going to lie, I was kind of distracted by the Ouija board rug in the background.
But in any case, if the Reddit comments on this post are to be believed, it’s an incredibly tiny, incredibly old footstool. And not a pin cushion.
“What is the purpose of a ring like this? It’s a sterling silver ring with a gemstone on top. The face of it is clasped shut and can be opened up to reveal little space for holding something.”
Apart from being a pretty piece of jewelry, it has another purpose too.
Redditor no_use_for_a_user says it’s a “poison ring. Sometimes for drugs too. Were popular in the ’90s with club kids and goths.”
Oh. Okay, then.
“What is this thing on my office ceiling light in the UK? It looks like a white panel 2 inches wide with 2 black “buttons”, 1 red and 1 green. It does not flash or light up.”
Even though neither the red or green light are on, it looks like this thing is probably some kind of emergency light. At least, that’s what Reddit user BigRedS seems to think.
“Found under a wall in Wales, UK – solid metal with bolts in the concrete around it.”
Reddit users were on the case, and with all the feedback, Oyed (the OP of the post) figured it out:
“We’ve come to the conclusion (with your guys help) that given it’s [ sic ] position next to the road, it is more than likely a base plate for a fence that predates the house as an entrance to the land it’s on.”
“I found these metal objects in the basement of my early 20th century house and I am not sure what they are. The U shaped ones appear to maybe be some sort of pulley.”
A few people chimed in on this one, and they were all on the same page. These bits are mechanisms for a hanging barn door. Nice and easy and solved.
“Antique tools I found going through the tools my grandpa left me. They are rusty but seem to work fine. Are they useful at all?”
“Left item looks to be part of a tap and die set Right item appears to be a screw clamp,” said Reddit user aa1bb1cc1dd1ee1. And that looks like it was probably the right answer.
No clue if that means they’re useful though.
“What is this opening on this airplane engine? It opened during landing. Never seen before. It closed itself after the landing.”
According to centcal51 on Reddit, it’s a “thrust reverser. Does just what the name implies. Slows the plane down in a hurry. Re-routes the engine thrust backwards, out the front of the engine. I’m sure I’m not describing it well.”
Isn’t learning new things fun?
“No info written on this tiny cord with two weird ends.”
This looks like one of those wires that’s used for something incredibly specific. In this case, according to Legend_of_dirty_Joe on Reddit, it’s a headphone jack for the Gameboy Advance and Advance SP systems. Incredibly specific indeed (not to mention super random).
“Can anyone help identify these Disney pins, they look very basic and they are so random I have no idea why they exist. They don’t snap into the holes on the table top, that’s just a table.”
It took a couple of people to figure this one out, but the likely answer is that these are coal buttons for an Olaf costume. Makes sense.
“Backwards comic strips printed on metal.”
A couple of Reddit users were able to determine that this thing is a metal plate for printing purposes. It was probably used to mass-print newspapers or something.
Nothing super eventful, but still interesting. I wonder how this person got it to begin with?
“Looks like a syringe, but doesn’t seal, no opening. Probably aluminum, about 20cm long, 1.5 cm on diameter. Material FEELS like it would be 1950s era?”
Reddit user gn_like_lasagna figured this one out. It’s a syringe used for milk products to separate cream from it. I didn’t even know something like that existed, but I guess it is pretty old.
“What is this steel wire, with a smaller gauge of wire wrapped around it, used for? Magnets are attracted to the metal, and it’s harder than aluminum (both core and wrap) so I’m guessing it’s stainless steel.”
QuirkyRanger760 on Reddit identified it as lead sealing wire, which is used for lead seals. Those probably really come in handy at times.
“Baffling floorboard arrangement in 1930s council house, Manchester, England. Not a openable hatch…We lifted the top layer of boards inside the frame expecting to find a hatch, only to find more boards underneath…”
A bunch of different people in the Reddit comments said that it’s some kind of insert for a doormat. Which makes sense, since it’s in front of an exterior door.
“It was found in a dryer and I have no additional information at this time. It seems to be metal and I’m unsure of the length as well.”
It kind of looks like a crochet hook. But it’s not that.
A bunch of Reddit users are parents of kids who own toy drums, apparently, because there were a lot of comments calling this a toy drumstick. Interesting.
“I just bought a house and this came with the keys. I assume it’s to reset something? The tip is blunt.”
This one was another super easy solve. Reddit user dihedral3 had the answer in this case: “It’s for really simple door locks, like the push button ones found on bathrooms, so if you accidentally lock yourself out you can stick this in that little hole and unlock it.”
“Black mystery box found in a LV hotel room.”
Yeah, I’d have no clue what this thing is (maybe I just don’t travel enough).
Reddit user Quantum_Kittens had the right answer: “Looks like a beverage tray that will automatically bill you if you remove something.” How very interesting. And kind of annoying.
“Does anyone know what this plate like brass object is? It’s about 30cm wide, with markings on the front.”
Many Reddit commenters chimed in on this one, and as it turns out, this object is nothing more than a fruit bowl. A very nice, super swanky fruit bowl, but a fruit bowl nonetheless.
“Solid acrylic (or maybe glass) with 5 carved circles and 4 magnets, 1 each corner, about 15.6 x 10.7 x 2.4 cm. Can’t remember where I got it.”
AWildApathyAppeared on Reddit had this to say: “It looks like an acrylic frame, maybe for bills and coins. It would have two pieces that sandwich the items between (the magnets hold it together).” That sure is… interesting.
“Holey street signs? Seen in Maine. Only some signs like this. Why?”
This one had a really simple explanation, actually. Reddit user and frequent finder jackrats had this to say: “They lower the wind resistance so that the wind does not flex the pole as much as it would with a solid sign.” Cool!
“Found in a friend’s backyard. About 8 feet tall.”
It kind of looks like some kind of unfinished playground item. In fact, that’s what most people in the comments were saying.
More specifically, it’s part of a swing. I wonder what happened to the rest of it. I guess we’ll never know, though.
“Large/bare/raised dirt mounds on the slopes of a glaciated volcano (Mt Baker).”
As it turns out, there was no mystery reason for this weird raised mud path. MitsyEyedMourning and chucksutherland on Reddit deduced that this is dried up mudflow, which would’ve happened after large amounts of water passed through the area. Yeah, I’d believe that.
“What is this large metal sphere on a stand with a dial and cords attached? It looks like it may open and there are handles on either side of the opening.”
Yeah… this thing isn’t ringing any bells. But there are plenty of people out there who know these kinds of things.
Like Redditor biglittletrouble, who said, “This is an integrating sphere. Used for light measurement and sometimes other experiments around light.” Cool!
“Found in a campus flowerbed. About 7 in tall out of the dirt, chrome and not connected to anything, I could pull it out of the ground.”
Once again, Reddit comes to the rescue. This thing is a flag holder. It holds flags and other kinds of signs. Makes sense if it was found around a school.
“These strange dust patterns keep showing up on screens of my apartment windows.”
To be honest, I kind of thought it was a weird spider web at first. But according to Reddit user Snowball-in-heck, it’s the residue leftover from the previous tenant, who probably smoked out of that exact window. How… specific.
“What is this plastic triangle with a magnet in each edge?”
This is another one of those things parents with young kids would know. Apparently, this is just one piece of one of those magnetic building kits kids can use to make different shapes and structures. That actually seems like a lot of fun.
“Round cement object with lid cover with mental rung handle 30 ft from rental home. Water 1ft from top, no smell.”
Lots of people (myself included) thought it was either something to do with a well or a septic tank. And the OP, lazylupine themselves, ended up figuring it out: “This was confirmed by neighbors. Found out we have a septic tank on the field behind our house which is very slightly raised.”
