Sometimes, you need help identifying a thing you’ve found. You never know if that thing is something valuable or dangerous, after all. Plus, with the internet, that help is super easy to come by.
These people needed the internet’s hive mind to figure out what these mystery things were. Unsurprisingly, they got some pretty good answers , and pretty quickly to boot.
“It says ‘do not discard,’ so we didn’t. Now we have no idea what it is for.”
The answer to this one came quickly, and it came in droves. A bunch of people knew that this is the seal for shop vac filters, and as it turns out, OP did at one point own a shop vac. Problem solved!
“Two boxes sealed with glue, the four little cables are connected to a solar panel, the big one is connected to (I think) a transmitter. It was hidden on the roof of an abandoned place.”
Several Reddit commenters explained what this thing is, and I’ll do my best to relay that info: it’s a Helium miner. Apparently Helium is some kind of crypto currency, and this thing mines it wirelessly? Yeah, I’m as confused as you are.
“Garden tool, measuring device? Stands about 1.5-2 feet tall.”
This funny looking thing is a bug trap. According to Redditor Senninha27, it’s a trap specifically for Japanese beetles, which have been such a pain lately. It looks strange, but apparently it works.
“What are these dots on my frozen chicken breast? They weren’t there before freezing and I can’t think of anything it was pushed up against.”
A few Reddit users had the right answer to this. Apparently, meat companies inject chicken and other kinds of meats with salt water to make it look and sell better, and this chicken breast just so happens to be showing the marks. Who would’ve thought.
“This metal pull out thing besides a bed. You can twist the top part but nothing turns on and there is no buttons. There is ridges on 3 sides of the twisty part of the cube. It’s on both sides of bed.”
This is another question that was answered by the collective intellect of the Reddit comments section. This metal thingy is nothing more than a broken reading light. Nothing to worry about.
“Burgundy color paint? Diamond shape pattern on the claw end. 13-14″ long, cast/steel no markings or numbers. At first I thought it was old salad tongs but they wouldn’t be this heavy of metal.”
I think it can go without saying that these are tongs. But what kind of tongs could they be?
Well, according to multiple Reddit comments, they’re coal tongs. Makes sense, since they look so bulky.
“A wooden cross with 5 holes, from the Netherlands.”
Despite their user name, Redditor SeriousGaslighting came in with the right answer: “This is a rope making tool. This spins around while twisting multiple lines into one main rope.” That was one mystery that didn’t take a lot to solve.
“Large metal item, with two holes and a small tool in the case?”
It didn’t take much for the mystery of this strange, metal object to be solved. Reddit user kenc1842 knew the answer right away. As it turns out, it’s “an attachment for a Gorilla Ladder or one that’s similar.”
“Metal rod with 1 broken end and strange scratches all over it.”
The right answer here was from Reddit user just_another_alter: “It’s a broken brass drift. Would normally have a smaller diameter section that was used for driving out pins without marking things.” Oh, that’s cool.
“Iron table-like thing – anyone know what it is?”
There were a few conflicting answers, and OP seemed a little confused, but it’s more than likely some kind of aquarium table. In other words, a stand to hold a fish tank. Seems like a good enough answer to me.
“What is this? Found on the floor of my house (but I live alone and have never seen it before) I found it in the middle of the floor, it’s a slim metal rod with an open end.”
This really could’ve been anything. But thanks to Reddit user Sybert777, we know what it is: “It looks like a fabric/leather hole punch. Is the tapered end hollow and sharp?” Who knows how it got there, though.
“Found in a barn. What looks like glass bulbs on would studs lined up in a row.”
Though Reddit user jackrats said that “It’s the cross bar for a railroad electric pole,” the rest of the comments decided that it’s actually for a telephone pole. Either way, this is another mystery solved.
“What is this metal item that looks like a hatchet head? 27 ounces, 6″x4″.”
OP was already on the right track for this one. But thanks to Redditor Mackin-N-Cheese, we know exactly what it is.
“It looks like the head for a hatchet or axe like these with a fiberglass handle that wraps around the head.”
“Found in the kitchen of an older house.”
According to Reddit user foxymulderr, it’s a “milk door!! A ton of the old apartment buildings in my area (including mine) have one! I bet that house has some awesome built-ins.”
I’ve only recently become aware of what a milk door is, and I love them. Let’s bring ’em back.
“This weird fuzzy thing was in my vent when I closed it.”
If you were worried that this could be some kind of dead rodent, don’t be. As the Reddit commenters overwhelmingly decided, it’s got to be some kind of insulation, likely from the ducts. Which makes sense, since it’s stuck in a vent register.
“Found during a highway cleanup. Indentation from use about halfway down the shaft and words appearing to say patent pending on the end.”
A few different people commented with the right answer on the original post. It’s a roller for a boat trailer. Since I’m not fancy enough to own a boat, I’d have no idea. Good thing the internet hive mind exists!
“Smelly, web-like material consisting of fibers found at an estuary where water levels recently dropped due to river mouth being opened.”
Thanks to Reddit user greyman1090, we don’t have to sit around wondering what this nasty-looking stuff could be:
“Looks like dried blanket weed /string algae. Possibly bleached by the sun. In the summer months I pull tons of the stuff from my pond . This too turns pale if left on my lawn.” Weird.
“Weird glass ball, suspended by screws, in a metal frame, bronze or gold colour in appearance.”
Apart from looking like a prop from a Steampunk movie, I have no clue what it could be. Thankfully, Reddit user tharookery turned up with the right info:
“It is a Campbell-Stokes sunshine recorder. You place a strip of card into one set of grooves in the piece that curves behind the sphere, point the opposite side of the sphere towards the equator, and the sphere will focus the sunlight to burn a track on the card. The card has hours marked, and more the card is burnt, the brighter the sunlight was.”
“Antique-ish? My Nan has had this for years with no clue. Any ideas?”
A couple of Reddit users showed up pretty quickly with the right answer. This strange little box is a cigarette holder.
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I swear, half of every mysterious antique box that people find ends up being some kind of cigar or cigarette holder. So strange.
“What is this thing with spikes laying on top of the cupboards?”
Reddit user agent851 called it an “Omnidirectional antenna. Similar to AT-197A.” And don’t worry if you’re still confused, because Reddit user Saint_Subtle elaborated:
“Designed to listen across a wide range of frequencies, but not broadcast, essentially a scanner antenna.” Interesting…
