If you see something that you’ve never seen before and need help identifying, chances are it’s something unusual. Sometimes, it’s actually pretty normal, but most of the time it’s something unusual .
The things on this list were unknown to most, but known to a few. And thanks to the internet’s collective help, people got to figure out what these things are.
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“Structure off the sound side of the outer banks, North Carolina.”
Apparently there are a bunch of duck hunters on the internet, because plenty of Reddit comments easily identified this structure as a duck blind, which acts as camouflage for hunters. They’re apparently pretty common in certain states, too. Who would’ve thought?
“Found this hexagonal thing in my grandparent’s fridge. Completely made of ceramic. Has Korean writing(?) at the back of it, tried searching up “NANO Korean” and got nothing.”
I think it’s safe to say that this thing had an unusual answer.
Redditor tetrahedronpizza said, “It seems like it’s a part of some kind of heated blanket/bed/belt/etc made by Korean company. These blankets have bunch of these hexagon parts that puts pressure on your back and stuff to make you feel more ‘relaxed?'”
“What is this thing? It’s made of metal and quite heavy, maybe 30cm long.”
Reddit user zsakos_lbp identified the thing as an Etruscan mirror, but Reddit user FrostRock101 confirmed that it’s just a replica, not something super ancient. Still, you can’t help but love seeing the collective effort on the internet when they try to figure things out.
“Found this light at a flea market curious as to what it was sold as- aluminum and has a place to attach it so it spins.”
AnotherSoullessGinger on Reddit had the answer to this. It’s a Christmas tree color wheel – except it’s missing the wheel that’s supposed to go on the back. It’ll still make a pretty cool Christmas decoration, though.
“Found by my car this morning, street parking in a city. About 2 inch long tube with what looks like a homemade battery attachment. The tube is pinched on one end and some residue inside on the other end.”
Turns out, this isn’t anything special. It’s the inner parts of an electronic cigarette. There are probably worse things to find on the street.
“What is this thing? It’s about 6 inches long with cut outs and a felt pad on the end.”
Reddit user BuckTurgidson89 said, “I think it’s a hanger extension that you place on the wall (in-lieu of a picture of painting).” And it turns out that this is the right answer. Nice and simple, just the way we like it.
“Small hollow rubber cover, blue and yellow in the shape of a Minion. About 4” long.”
This thing is… probably not what anyone would’ve expected it to be. According to Redditor jackrats, it’s a release mechanism for a pressure cooker. Why it looks like a Minion, we probably can’t say. But that’s just the way things go sometimes.
“Found this tube thing by the side of a hiking trail in British Columbia, Canada. Looks like a thin white tube, size of a straw, inside a metal housing and facing the trail. A locked door on the back of the metal housing provides access. What is this?”
We know the answer to this, thanks to Redditor agt_mothman: “I’m from BC and go hiking frequently. This is 100% trail counter. They are pretty common.”
“Series of green square markers on the side of the highway in central Wyoming, various U shapes with one dotted leg.”
This looks like a road sign. And it is, just not for us regular drivers.
Mackin-N-Cheese had this to say about it on Reddit: “They show highway striping crews where to start no-passing lanes.” Cool.
“This shows both sides of the same metal piece, with a quarter added for scale. ‘Offz.’ seems to be the abbreviation of the German word for ‘officer.'”
There’s a second plate that has the same thing on it, but the III is replaced with IV (3 and 4 in Roman numerals).
Schnappdiewurst on Reddit said this: “Door sign of a 3rd officers cabin on a merchant ship. Officer cabins are not labeled with the individual names, since personal is frequently changed, but instead with rank.” Seems legit.
“Small white plastic container with a screw on lid.”
“With small white cube rectangular thing inside. Found in cupboard below the sink. In front of the dish soap in a very common place that I would have seen many times. In a house that I bought only eight months ago.”
Well, this was an easy solve. ShutYourFesteringGob on Reddit said, “The clear container is for homemade cosmetics.” Though, it’s still unclear what’s inside of it.
“Electronic object, blue LEDs and 3.5mm jack, 50 x 23 x 5mm. No ID #s. Has a charging port that I have plugged an appropriate charger, causing an LED next to the battery symbol to light up, then turn off after a while.”
Like always, the answer ended up being a little unexpected.
“I used to have one of those. It goes to a little helicopter; you plug that into your phone to control the helicopter through the app, Reddit user alexxconyers said.
“Thick cast iron metal, jungle themed. Found in a forest not near any houses. Definitely old, no houses around where it was found. Wooden frame and no other markings.”
According to Reddit user RagingLeonard, “That is the back of a small bench for a child. We have one exactly like it.” That was fast and simple!
“What is this thing? Found in the basement of the physics department.”
Reddit user brock_lee (who is really good at finding stuff), got the answer to this one really quickly. It seems to be some kind of static generator, according to the commenter. That seems like the kind of thing you’d find in the physics department.
“20-30lb rectangular tapered steel object with hole that fell from the sky through the roof of a home.”
This was another inquiry that had a lot of different theories. But only one answer can be the right one, and that one turned out to be from Reddit user topbunn: “Boom mower blade. They articulate at steep angles. They mow sides of roads and tree limbs.” Huh.
“Fork with bent tines on some kind of fob or whatnot. Found whilst cleaning out a house. Probably silver.”
Reddit user Egga-Mooby-Muffin had this answer on lock: “This is a fork weight for a knitting machine. It’s exactly like the ones I have from my 1908 CSM.” A very specific thing, but still easy enough to identify it seems.
“About the size of a mousepad. The only writing says “whitefang”. The straps are of different sizes and grippy. The back feels like cheap material with a zipper pouch.”
Reddit user taimur1128 came through with the answer to this thing pretty quickly. As it turns out, it’s an organiser for cables and stuff like that. Simple, yet elegant.
“Metal cover with screw-top mesh(?) cap that has embedded electronics in it.”
The answer to this one was something I would’ve never thought of. It’s “one of those faucet heads that lights up when water passes through,” according to Reddit user alrankin. Seriously, who would’ve thought the answer was as easy as that?
“Looks like fibreglass, probably floats and doesn’t look like it will fit a human. It says ‘Tahiti’ on one side. Found in my building.”
Like a lot of the things in this list, the answer to this one is actually pretty specific. Kookabanus on Reddit said, “It looks like the outrigger for a Polynesian canoe.” This turned out to be the right answer and everything!
“Anybody know what this is? Painted glass, seems like a leaded metal frame all the way around outside. Dimensions are 8″ tall a 6″ wide.”
There’s a little bit of doubt to this, but it looks like Reddit user jackm315ter’s answer was the right one: “It is a sun catcher painted glass which has lead on the edge for safety an alternate to stained glass art.”
“Custom wooden table with angled peg, lower height than typical kitchen island, what is this thing?”
Apparently, this is nothing more than a woodworking bench. At least that’s what the Reddit comments all seemed to think. No big mystery here after all.
“Heavy metal device that has instructions to set on stove. Handle of the roller appears to have 1880 on it.”
According to Reddit using jackrats, “It’s a crimping/fluting iron.” I have no idea what that is, but this user is right most of the time, so I’d take their word for it.
“Turns from side to side with teeth and handle. Looks like it could be mounted to table.”
Okay, out of all the things on this list, I would’ve probably expected the answer to this one the least.
PKDickman on Reddit called it a “Cork compressor. Squeezes corks to make them easier to insert into wine bottles.” Simple, yet elegant.
“What is this antique fork looking tool, and what is it used for?”
Looks like a tiny pitchfork to me. But you just know that isn’t what it is.
Redditors took to the comments by storm, and the consensus is that this is a little ice pick. Apparently, they don’t make them this sharp anymore.
“Giant, circular blocks of concrete all along the coast of south of Spain. Sometimes they have a smaller top part.”
This thing may look unusual, but like everything else, it has a perfectly logical explanation.
According to NorthernPunk on Reddit: “Storm drain outflow sewers. It’s so the water on the roads can flow out through the storm drains and into the ocean.”
“Found in a jacket pocket: piece of purple card with the word ‘end’ on wrapped in plastic.”
Reddit user caudicem had the answer to this one. It’s a kind of repellent for moths. I can see why something like this would be in a jacket, since certain species of moths love to eat clothing materials.
“This thing I found inside the entrance of an old farmhouse (abandoned). I assume it’s some form of alarm or camera, forgot to take picture from the back.”
According to Redditor InSecondsHa: “ESB more than likely stands for Electricity Supply Board and the screw head you can see has a hole in it for putting a seal through. This is likely something to do with the electricity supply to the house.”
I’m not sure this answers everything, but it seemed to be enough for the OP.
“This divot on my school’s desk. All these kinds of desks have it. It’s about the size of a ping pong ball.”
The OP who posted this strange thing to Reddit originally thought it could’ve been a little spot to keep eraser shavings. But as it turns out, it’s an indent that helps make it easier to take the top of the desk off. That makes way more sense.
“What is this thing/tool, it is metal and timber.”
According to randompishposh on Reddit, this is some kind of tool that will graft plants to one another? I’m not really sure how that would work, but it seems to be the right answer, so we should just roll with it.
“80s era home electronics, homemade.”
This is apparently something handmade that someone had given the OP back in the ’80s. It’s kind of unclear what this thing actually is, but it looks like it was at least made from an old doorbell. Apparently it made sounds, so that would make sense.
