12 People Who Found Mysterious Objects and Thought, “Wait a Minute...”

When people come across unfamiliar objects, curiosity takes over, and they instinctively turn to the internet for answers. Fortunately, online communities are quick to offer fascinating explanations. Yet sometimes, the items they find are simply beyond imagination.

“Wife found this in the laundry. Just us live here. My son doesn’t know what it is either.”

• Not to worry — it’s a bath mitten. © galacticgumbo / Reddit

«Found it near my kitchen sink. It makes me slightly uncomfortable.What is this thing?»

• It is used kind of like a keyring on certain measuring spoons or measuring cups. © brock_lee / Reddit

“What is the small tub for next to the big jetted tub? It has no drain and no faucet.”

• I’m thinking it is/was a spot for an artificial plant. The rest of the aesthetic seems just right for the time when designers thought that was a good idea. © Fyrefrog25 / Reddit

“From my grandparents. Does anyone have ideas?”

• It’s a sugar scuttle. © savanthebride / Reddit
• My mom always used this for mixed nuts, then people’s hands don’t touch the nuts, just the little scoop. © Fickle-Friendship-31 / Reddit

“This chain inside my door? It connects the door to the frame and can easily just be pulled out of the door.”

• It’s a concealed door closer (and it’s broken). © sjhill / Reddit

“My friend found this on her coffee table. It’s made of metal and bracelet sized. But no closure to put on.”

• It’s a tie chain. Little loop hangs in a button of the dress shirt and the tie goes thought the chain. It prevents the tie from moving around too much. © adamhughey / Reddit

“It has apparently been in the family for 80 years. Any help identifying this would be great!”

• Part of a Prussian soldier’s kit to hold a small amount of ground coffee. © hekla7 / Reddit

“Small plastic spoons with brown substance, individually packaged and found in a public park. What is it?”

• Tamarind spoon. You have Hispanics in the neighborhood would be my guess. © ape_on_lucy / Reddit

“A silver spoon with ‘top’ part?”

• Seems to be a medicine spoon. © vtosnaks / Reddit

“What could it be?”

• Pretty sure that’s a baby rattle, but the bells were removed. © Crafty-Shape2743 / Reddit

“Small black ceramic dish with 3 holes in center”

• It’s a soap dish. It’s sitting on our downstairs bathroom sink right now. © Garth_AIgar / Reddit

“Promo item I received for free at a Christmas Fair. It is the size of my hand, the white top screws on and off and the red bag part expands and is pretty thick.”

• You fill it with ice and use it for bruises / knee pain like you would a bag of frozen peas. © OODA_Loops / Reddit

“I got this from my grandmother and have no idea what it is. It’s pretty darn heavy and has what looks to be a little stone in the middle. Also, there are Chinese characters on the bottom.”

• These are called chops — it’s a way of signing your name, still used for legal documents in some places. There is a street in Hong Kong where you can have them made while you wait. Cool piece. © brasskat / Reddit

«What’s this thing I saw?»

• I believe it’s a Kegel-cisor. © Appalachian_American / Reddit
• Oh my god! I just saw this same item yesterday. In the box too! Only way I knew what it was. © CentralGardens / Reddit

“Found tiny vial of thick liquid with a bead inside. There were also 4 rubber things for your fingers and it was all in a sealed black foil packet. Any idea what it is?”

• I know exactly what this is!! It’s a lotion that comes with temporary tattoo kits. The little rubber finger covers are for applications. © Zuzublue / Reddit

We love these little puzzles — they’re a chance to test our intuition and discover something new. If you enjoy them too, here’s another collection of mysterious objects to explore.