Ever find some strange, random thing and have no idea how to figure out what it is? Well, one good place to start is by asking Reddit. There are a lot of smart people over there.
Some of those internet geniuses took time out of their lives to help these people identify these things. I just love the sense of comradery.
A bunch of comments identified this thing as a push drill, though some were also saying it's called a Yankee Drill. To each their own, I guess.
OP posted a few more pictures showing different angles, which helped Redditor OverTheCandleStick figure it out.
"It’s going to be an electric substation. The structure you see laying in your other pics are part of that support structure." Nice!
Well, since that top piece is clearly a TV mount, maybe the bottom two are for speakers?
In the end, with help from the Reddit comments, OP figured out that they're wall mounts for holding up media consoles. I was close!
Some people gave a few good guesses, but OP figured it out on their own. They're hand grips for some kind of exercise tool. I guess sometimes you need people shouting wrong answers at you to push you into finding the right one.
Pretty much every comment agreed that this is some kind of pump, but Reddit user KiltLifterAZ answered by saying, "The larger pump is definitely a sewage ejection pump," and that turned out to be correct!
Weirdly-placed storage bin? Animal trap? Random junk that someone offloaded on the side of the road? What could this thing be?
According to Redditor 954kevin, it's none of those things: "They used something very similar when they came through putting in fiber internet service in my rural area. They buried one near each residence." That... actually makes the most sense.
According to Reddit user ksdkjlf, it's a smoking set. And after a bit of investigation from some other users, they confirmed that this is, in fact, the right answer. Who would've thought?
Reddit user DonnieTobasco2 said, "It’s a kubotan. A self-defense weapon held in the hand with the smaller spikes pointing out of the fist to maximize the pressure exerted on the offender. In the right hands, it’s pretty effective."
I wonder how OP ended up with one...
To be honest, the right answer for this one is something I literally never would've guessed. But according to Reddit user AdoraBattle, it was once used as currency!
"It may be a reproduction or really well taken care of. Origin is likely Laos (or Thailand), typically made during the Lan Shang Kingdom era, 1571-1592, but I understand that they may have been produced until the early 1800s." So cool!
Redditor misterdobson said, "It’s a scholastic achievement medal. The genie lamp and torch are rather generic, and they are used in countless honor roll and principal’s award medals. I have a few."
You can tell I didn't win a lot of awards in school, because I wouldn't have been able to identify this!
A few commenters suggested it might be some kind of baby item, and after a bit of research, OP confirmed that it's a piece of a children's bath organizer. "You put the mount up, then the organizer, and then secure it with the hooks. It is in fact missing the organizer, a knob, and is also placed upside down."
Whatever these things are, they have to be some kind of plant item. Flowers, perhaps?
No, not quite. They're "European Water Chestnut (Trapa natans) seeds," according to Reddit user TheVambo. I wonder if they'd still grow anything...
All it took was Reddit user MrDorkESQ coming in to say, "I'm pretty sure it is a camera shutter trigger," and this mystery got blown wide open. I guess it's not much of a mystery anymore, though.
"Attach to back of headrest in car so back passengers can put their phones in for entertainment?" Reddit user CutComfortable4307 suggested. So it's basically some kind of phone or tablet mount for a car. Cool.
Reddit user jackrats knew the right answer right away: "It's a floor outlet. Unscrew the top with a large screwdriver to access the outlet. A quarter often works as well." Who would've thought?
I'm honestly stumped by this one. I guess this is why OP went to the experts (AKA, Reddit).
User kabullemtp said, "They are to connect a mirror to the back. I would imagine there are holes threw the top directly above them." Well, there you go.
"Wi-Fi adapter HVAC split systems," said Redditor Yosemite_Scott. And here I was thinking it was some kind of sensor for motion lights or something.
As a few Reddit commenters suggested, it's a wall safe (but let's be real, even I could've told you that). OP managed to get it open (since it's broken), but there was nothing inside. No treasure to see here.
Many different commenters decided that this things was some kind of speaker. Whether it's for an alarm or something the previous tenants had installed, it's hard to say. But at least we have an answer.
Many people have seen or used these things before, apparently, because so many commenters came out to say that it's some kind of device for physical therapy, specifically for hands. So, OP's friend was right about that.
