If you think getting in a debate amongst friends is tiring, imagine that happening online with potentially hundreds of other strangers. That’s what happened on these threads where the poster was trying to identify an object.
Guesses may have been made, but no consensus was drawn. To keep the mystery alive, and send you down your own research rabbit hole, here’s a list of times people couldn’t identify something they’d found.
“Left behind for me from a family member who passed. Zero clue what to do.”
![Image credit: Reddit | [deleted]](https://static.diply.com/PLBrVFFGSou0TFlTVBFY.jpg)
I have issues reading as it is, let alone something like this, but others clearly don’t have the same issue. Though some initial guesses included an indentured servitude document, some sleuths started trying to go through the document line by line. Some did get transcribed, but not enough to quite know what it could be.
“Ancient currency? Found near a shipwreck.”
While a good first guess, a coin collector came in and said it seemed too thick for any kind of currency. Other suggestions included an old button, an apothecary weight, and the head of a hull spike!
“A British rescue received this hedgehog and is trying to clean it. What is this stuff?”
Guesses came in quick on this one, most having to do with agriculture and lawn care. From grass seeding spray, to Miracle Grow, to slug poison. None of it was ever confirmed, but you’ll be happy to know the hedgehog, aptly named Sonic, was cleaned up and being cared for!
“Found 32cm under surface in horse-plowed field, Norway. Reads copper/bronze.”
Many immediately guessed it was clothing related. From there it carried to a type of buckle for leather garments, a fastener for a bodice, a back buckle for suspenders, even part of a sword sheath! The rollers were what confounded people most, making for a pretty good mystery.
“Around 35 years ago my grandfather found this sword while he was making discharge pipes in his backyard.”
Found in the Netherlands, this user took to the internet to try and get any help finding out more details. While some did try their best, most guessing an arming sword before debating on the time period, but someone came in with an alternate piece fo advice: take it to a museum.
If you have what you believe to be a true artifact on your hands, the only way to get real, detailed, accurate info on it would be to have an expert look at it in person. I think it’s pretty good advice, learn from the professionals!
“I know this is a long shot but…”
The colors are what’s most striking about this photo, but funnily enough, they’re not at all accurate. In another photo taken with another phone, the purples and reds are gone, showing what is just a concrete slab and dug up dirt.
Still, that didn’t make the investigation any easier. The concrete mixed with a metal pipe found in the center lead many to believe this was the foundation for some kind of building, but it didn’t evolve much from there.
“‘Wrenches’ discovered in melting Norwegian glaciers.”
There were lots of guesses on this one. From pot grips to suspension hooks, animal trap triggers to tiller staves, not a single answer matched another in this thread. This one still remains a massive mystery.
“Found buried in a pit dug in Yankton, SD, where an old hotel used to be prior to 1875.”
This one was narrowed down piece by piece. First someone specified the name of the bottle, called an ampoule, then some guesses came in building off that. The poster’s favorite guess was someone saying the capsules inside looked like the ones based off WWI draft lotteries, so these could have been used for a sort of lottery event.
“Found this hidden behind a cabinet in our new home.”
To me it looks like a large cutting board mishap, but others had better ideas. Most suggested various wall hangings, one person saying a calendar or recipes while someone else said a dartboard or guns. Two very different perspectives, but all equal possibilities.
“Mother and girlfriend found this on the beach today. Any idea what it is?”
Well whatever it is, it’s both terrifying and beautiful. Most guessed a type of anemone, but many urged the user and his family not to touch it. You can never be too careful with washed-up sea monsters.
“Found on an Iwo Jima landing beach.”
This user was travelling with a military historian who said he couldn’t place it either. Some said a cable spool, some said part of an old construction or transportation vehicle. Some came in just to compliment the photography. Way to help with the search, guys.
“Found this in the Adriatic sea, looks like some kind of axe.”
The poster had a pretty good base, and many did agree that it was some kind of hatchet. Others brought in different possibilities, but the most popular was the chance that this might be the head of a Hawsing Iron, which as used to caulk wooden boat seams.
“Just found in Cumbria, England.”
These objects varied from a foot to two and a half feet long, and were found near a MOD firing facility. Funnily enough, most people weren’t interested in helping identify these and were instead warning the poster to stay far, far away, and to call them into authorities. They did do that, updating people in the comments, so it’s safe to say these were likely a type of explosive.
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“Found buried 6ft deep in Redondo Beach CA.”
The stone was identified as pumice, but beyond that many people weren’t sure where it could have originated from. One person, who’d been living in Redondo for a long time, said that it wouldn’t be the first time someone had found Polynesian artifacts, but the poster thought it was of Native American origin.
“Former owners left this at the house. We live near an Ottoman fortress and where a Roman road went.”
Many people swooped in to say this likely wasn’t Roman. One user suggested it could be Serbian, but many actually said it was fake, looking too modern to be any sort of ancient relic.
“What is going on here!?”
More of a phenomenon than an object, but still interesting to find. Most guesses were about an animal that eats snails, but it was impossible to pin down what kind of animal. Someone said shrew but the hole was too small, so someone else said another kind of rodent, then someone came out of nowhere and said a bird could be dropping the shells from above. Whatever it is, it’s a little ominous to see just walking around.
“A friend of mine saw this in a house she was cleaning. Yes those are TEETH and Jonbenet, and no we don’t live in Colorado.”
I can’t think of a single thing that would be weirder to find in a house. After some sleuthing, people found that the teeth photos were not those of Jonbenet, but random ones from the internet, and many were repeated throughout the piece. Beyond that, nothing else was really uncovered, leaving many to wonder things like ‘what?’ and ‘why?’.
“It has been in my house for a very long time. Is it some kind of calculator?”
Someone did a breakdown of all the features on this divide and said not only is it probably a calculator, but it’s also a clock, radio, and thermometer too! Without turning it on, there’s no way to know for sure, though.
“Found at the bottom of the lake. It’s booze.”
Not only did this user find this bottle, but he also tasted it! Describing the drink as a slightly sweeter whiskey and covering all the details on the bottle, he gave people plenty to work with, but still no one could identify the mystery drink.
“Red spots along wood grain in ceiling.”
Many people jumped into this one saying it was sap, which the poster was happy to believe, but others did offer other suggestions like resin.
