17 Mysterious Objects That Turned Out to Be Something Entirely Different Than They Seem

Facts
7 months ago

Humanity has created billions of various things and objects. Sometimes, each of us comes across a certain item and wonders, «What is this and what is it for?» Various thoughts come to mind, but uncovering the truth is aided by the internet and its active users.

’’I bought a big pack of groceries from a local supermarket; they threw in this item for free.’’

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

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

“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

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

“Scissors with weird angle. What is the use of this?”

“What could it be?”

“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 black ceramic dish with 3 holes in center”

“From my grandparents. Does anyone have ideas?”

“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 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

“A silver spoon with ‘top’ part?”

“What is this thing received by a family member as a Christmas gift? Top half silver, bottom half wood.”

“A transparent plastic thing with a hinged lid that opens up and a ridged cylinder that spins inside. Found in an old office space.”

Not knowing the size or seeing the other three sides, I had a couple guesses. 1) Reminded me of a Post-It note dispenser I had in my office back in the 80's and early 90's. 2) A playing card chute used to hold multiple decks for games like poker. 3) A toothpick dispenser.

-
-
Reply

«What’s this thing I saw?»

We love such puzzles. It’s a chance to test our intuition and learn something new. If you also enjoy this, here’s another collection of mysterious things.

Preview photo credit undecidedsalad / Reddit

Comments

Get notifications
Lucky you! This thread is empty,
which means you've got dibs on the first comment.
Go for it!

Related Reads