Have you ever come across something really random or strange, and just had no idea what it could be? Well, these people have, and they did what any reasonable person would do in this day in age: they asked strangers on the internet about them.
While most of these mysterious objects in this list ended up being pretty normal, some of them are actually quite surprising. Find out for yourself!
“Found this stone on a beach in northern LP Michigan, it’s about 2 inches across and is strangely light for its size. The holes on top look man made.”
As mysterious as this thing is, it’s probably not actually that strange.
Reddit user softhacklestacker offered a guess that seems to be about right: “it was a processed and fired piece of marl clay as a quality test. Hence the markings for a batch number… suggest you take to Elk Rapids historical museum for confirmation.”
“This was found at my work (marina) made of stainless steel, the other side has a scale of 24 and 32. Is it some kind of print alignment tool?”
This blade can be anything. But it’s apparently a center setting gauge and grinding tool . I’m not sure what it is exactly, but it seems to be a blade used to set thread cutting tools. I’m sure this is incredibly useful to someone out there, even if it doesn’t for most of us.
“What’s the purpose of this box? 3×5 inches, metal, with some compartments inside. The chain has bells on it.”
Reddit was pretty sure about this one. It’s a betel nut box which is a box that was once used to store tobacco and its related products. I don’t think boxes like these are really used anymore, or at least, they aren’t used around here. At least they’re pretty.
“Obviously it’s dominoes, but what are the slides for?”
This one isn’t so weird after all. In fact, it’s actually kind of nice.
The cards in the box are reading aides for kids with learning disabilities. It’s to help kids understand how the pieces work. It’s really nice to see things that are accessible, even when they’re old toys like this.
“What are these brass and wooden handle tools of various shapes and sizes?”
The person who originally posted the picture, Redditor Walterthefartingdog2, actually found the answer to this one: “it appears these are mostly used for saddles. Makes sense, was on a farm in ND and we believe around 75 years old or older.”
So these are saddle tools. That’s another one for the books.
“Five nested pins. About six inches long. The point of each pin is three sided and looks very sharp.”
From the looks of it, this is an antique nested trocar. A nested trocar is a surgical tool which is used to drain fluids from organs like the gallbladder. It’s unclear how this person ended up with a nested trocar, but at least it would make a really cool collector’s item.
“What is this rusty mechanical item that resembles a small music box, found in a field in WA state?”
This strange little piece of equipment is an automotive voltage regulator , most likely for a vintage car. Automotive voltage regulators keep car batteries from burning out as energy is used, so they’re kind of important. At least, for vintage cars. I don’t know if modern vehicles use those things anymore.
“Metal rod with handle and smooth disc-shaped end. Found in an old tool box, no markings or identifying features. The disc doesn’t move, only the handle and nut.”
There’s no mystery to be found here. This skinny little tube is nothing more than a sink drain rod. The thin disk part on the one end is the part that shows in the bowl, and the rest of it goes down the drain to keep it all in place. Simple stuff.
“Chatoyant glass tube found in a river.”
This is another item that isn’t nearly as mysterious as it seems. Reddit user MrRonObvious gave a pretty solid explanation. “My guess would be a piece of hollow quartz that surrounded a heating element. They always tend to be that sort of translucent clear color.” As it turns out, that’s exactly what it is.
“Hollow plastic or nylon, about 42” long.”
The person who originally posted this pic to Reddit ended up finding the answer after talking to their neighbors.
“Texted the son of the ranch owner who lives 4 miles North of where I found it. He said it is a “cattle rubber”. I guess they rub on it when flies are bothering them.” Seems simple enough.
“Found in old hinged box on the rooftop of the observatory at our college. No plastic, all wood and metal. Think it may date back to 1930s ish.”
The consensus is that this is some kind of telescope. Reddit user synthetic-chem-nerd offered a pretty good explanation.
“This is most likely a transit scope. Back in the day, there wasn’t internet to sync clocks, yet in order to do precise astronomy, you needed to know precisely what the local time was. In order to precisely sync the observatory’s clocks, a transit scope was used.”
“This cylindrical metal canister(?) type thing. Someone selling on FB for £30 as ‘unsure think it might be a lighter’.”
This thing just so happens to be some kind of antique perfume atomizer . That’s a fancy word for a perfume bottle, but not the bottle the stuff comes in. These help you spray a fine mist of perfume, rather than giant droplets. If you wear a lot of scents, you probably know what I’m talking about.
“Metal (copper?) keychain from Japan with oddly shaped parts that either rotate or slide. The little tag says ‘Huis Ten Bosch’ which according to google is a Dutch theme park in Japan.”
As weird as it looks, it’s something we’ve probably all seen before. The keychain is made to look like a stockless anchor . It’s literally as simple as that.
It’s kind of disappointing, though. Not the keychain, the fact that there’s no greater mystery to be seen here. But I guess they can’t all be super obscure things.
“Pipes running throughout a wooded area. Spotted near a quarry in PA. What are they for?”
You know what Pennsylvania has (among plenty of other states, and, like, most of Canada)? Sugar maple trees. And you know what comes from sugar maples? Maple syrup. These tubes are used as part of the tapping process, and are pretty common to come by . They may not look pretty, but they give us the goods.
“What is this large metal rod in back of house – I’d like to know if it can be removed! Maybe it is a lightning rod?”
Reddit was very adamant on this one. It’s nothing more than an old TV antenna (so no, not a lightning rod). I guess before satellite and fiber optic cable, people used to have these outside of their houses? Weird.
But at least, from the looks of it, it would be safe to take down.
“What is this sort of sliding meter sort of thing I always see located near train and tram tracks in the UK?”
This little meter is kind of technical. And for most of us, it’s probably a bit hard to understand. LovepeaceandStarTrek gives a pretty decent explanation of it, though, saying that “It tells technicians/engineers where the rail should be. If the rail moved then they move it back to the position marked on the sign.” So, it’s that.
“Random circular holes in concrete sidewalk. They appear all over town and have been there ever since the concrete was laid.”
Don’t worry, this isn’t as sinister as it may appear. The holes are just places where they took concrete/asphalt samples. Apparently, it’s pretty common to do this, mostly to gauge the thickness of the concrete. When all is said and done, these strange little holes aren’t really worth worrying about.
“Wooden handle thing with holes on the sides?”
I’ve never seen one of these in action before, but it’s apparently a paddle used to hold beer bottles or wine glasses. I guess if you have a large party at a bar or restaurant and you need to bring them their drinks at once, this would make it a lot easier.
“Small metal tool found in yard. The side with a 90° bend curves at the end looks like it was warped while in use. The other side is shaped like a claw with 3 metal fingers.”
It’s kind of surprising how many of these mysterious objects end up being surgical devices. Like, more than you’d expect, considering how specific each one of them is. This particular piece is called a Senn retractor , and it’s mainly used in hand and foot surgeries. I guess if you’re a surgeon, it’ll be pretty useful.
“What is this connecting pipes and hooks assembly thing?”
So. Uhh, this particular set of bars is for swings. The comments on this Reddit page seem to think that it’s for… how should I put it. Adult oriented swings? I’m not going to ask anymore questions. I don’t need to know how or why this person has them, and I won’t judge.
