20 Mysterious Things the Internet Detectives Helped Identify

Sometimes we find weird things here and there and don’t really know what to do with them. Some people have encountered a piece of fabric attached to the pavement with 2 bolts, and others thought actual gold could be collected with their water filter. In any case, once something mysterious appears in your life, it’s better to seek advice from detectives on the Internet.

We at Now I’ve Seen Everything want to share 20+ successfully solved cases with you.

“Is this gold inside my activated carbon under-counter water filter?”

• Looks like it’s probably copper-zinc used in filters to filter heavy metals. © spyrenx / Reddit
• Okay, I did the math. Apparently, it’s copper zinc. Oh well, that was fun regardless! © european_impostor / Reddit

“I’m waiting for the bank to open and they have this card facing the street. What is it used for?”

• It’s a safety signal. We switch ours quarterly and it is to let other employees know that it is all clear to open. Typically, we have 2 employees “open” the branch while the rest wait in the parking lot or across the street for the “all clear.” The openers go in, turn off the alarm, search the building and check everything, then set the signal. © peebs1284 / Reddit

“It used to be used in World War I, but we’ve got no clue what it was meant for.”

• It’s a curette, a medical instrument used for scraping away tissue (like removing certain skin lesions or dead tissue from a wound). © malted_barley_flour / Reddit

“Found this in a garden — a metallic object that closes in on itself.”

• It’s a Hindu ritual box. It’s missing the middle piece that would sit in that central hole. This is used to store turmeric and other colorful powders that we shower over the deity’s idol. © lmaoooooaf / Reddit

“Husband has this in his collection but I have no idea what its intended purpose is other than being an axe.”

• That’s an aircraft crash-axe. It’s typically mounted to a bulkhead in cargo aircraft. © Imadethis4things / Reddit
  

“What is this V-shaped scoring found on the tree?”

• That’s an old way to collect sap to make turpentine. It’s called “cat face.” © TomBug68 / Reddit

“Turns out the hole in the center of this ceramic crab is a water inlet. This device was used in calligraphy in the seventeenth century.”

“Water was poured into it and then the water was dripped from the nose on a dry dye to get ink.”

“Saw it on the pavement (sidewalk) in London. It looks like a piece of fabric between 2 bolts stuck to the pavement.”

• It was holding down tubes for a pneumatic traffic counter. © Fawksie / Reddit

“It might seem like a Tyrannosaurus tooth. But, in fact, it’s just petrified coral.”

“Moving into a new apartment and found this on the wall. It seems like a plastic plate that’s just hollow inside the opening. What could this be for?”

• It’s a port for hiding cables in a wall. © VivaNOLA / Reddit

“This is a plastic-like, circular object (3 cm) made of ’cells’ (as in beehives). Found on several beaches in Sardinia (Italy).”

• Looks like this biofilm used to treat wastewater. ©Tomorrows_Sorrows / Reddit

“Found this in an old house built in 1914 — the little gold pins spin if you pull the red cord through.”

• It’s a razor blade sharpener. © ExtinctWallaby / Reddit

“What is this small rubber thing I found in my throat when I coughed up a loogie after I woke up this morning? Earring for scale.”

• It’s a gum massager that broke off of an electric toothbrush. © blackberrybunny / Reddit

“A ceramic frog statue? Maybe it’s an incense burner?”

• This is a watering bell. © wickedishrag / Reddit

“This find is 100 years old. What could it be?”

• It’s a traditional Chinese soy sauce jug. The little spout is a giveaway. © raineykatz / Reddit

“This thing that looks like a head massager is actually a cocktail stick. Ladies used to use small whisks to degas carbonated drinks.”

“What is this small round object poking out of the wheel arch of this city bus? I’ve not seen it on any other busses.”

• It’s a special wheel that keeps the bus on the tracks essentially. It’s used on bus guideways. © Iammiddow1991 / Reddit

“This is a solid metal Egyptian-looking scarab. It has hieroglyphs on the underside and is fairly heavy for its size.”

• I have one of these from Egypt. Definitely a paperweight tourist trinket. © ekaj862000 / Reddit

“6 inches tall, 4 inches wide, and it feels metal-ish.”

• It’s an iron nodule — a natural concentration of iron. © jolly2284 / Reddit
  

“What is this piece of seemingly old tech?”

• That’s a very old wearable computer. © guessimcanadiannow / Reddit

Have you ever found something that left you feeling confused?