20 Times Strangers Online Joined Hands to Solve a Mystery

Reddit has a special community for all the things we see, but have no idea what they’re for exactly: r/whatisthisthing. And no matter how bizarre an object is, there seems to always be someone with an explanation. So whether you’re the one with an answer, simply curious about all things or looking to figure out what it is you have in your hands, you’ve come to the right place.

1. “A little black device with some odd vent-like holes I found stuck to my vehicle, no letters on it or anything.”

Answer: It’s a microphone for a hands-free car phone (could be a Bluetooth one to connect to your phone).

2. My neighbors put this facing our garden. We hope it’s not a camera.

Answer 1: It’s a cat repeller.
Answer 2: No, it’s not a cat repeller. I saw my uncle use it to ward off insects.

3. A small blue plastic thing I found in the house. What is it?

Answer: I have this exact thing. It’s the antennae from a snail toy.

4. “What is this stabby thing on wheels that arrived in the mail by mistake from Jamaica, NY?”

Answer: “It’s for weeding cracks and crevices.”

5. What is this metal object, roughly the size of a hand, guessing it’s around 700-800 grams?

Answer: “It’s an artificial hip replacement.”

6. A hand-carved marble cup. It’s at least 110 years old. I was told these were found on the desks of wealthy men. What is it?

Answer: “I don’t think it’s marble and I don’t think it’s particularly old or valuable. It’s probably an Indian incense burner, made of soapstone.”

7. What is this gray cylindrical object mounted on the back of my house for?

Answer: “It’s a Verizon 4G home fusion unit.”

8. This large, ceramic, turquoise fire hydrant-looking thing has been in the family for decades. Resembles some sort of large lantern, but still unsure.

Answer: “I believe it’s a small heater, probably gas. Mostly decorative to protect people from the flame.”

9. Wooden block with 2 screws and a spring in between. What is it for?

Answer: “It’s a guitar pick holder.”

10. What is this large wooden board with movable red and white beads on the rim?

Answer: “It’s called a Billard Nicolas. It appears to be a French game of some sort.”

11. Serrated scraping tool found in the basement of a house. What is it for?

Answer: “It is a tool for opening windows that have been painted shut, called a ’window zipper.’”

12. A tool found on a family farm. Looks too small for a hog to fit through. It looks like there was text on the box, but we can’t make out what it said.

Answer: “It’s an applicator for livestock fly spray. They make these for cows to itch their face on.”

13. What is this small white gelatinous rectangle that fell out of my washed laundry on its way to the dryer? It has no smell.

Answer: “It’s an Icy Hot patch, the sort where you ‘snap’ the plastic backing off. Probably transferred from someone’s skin to clothes, then came off in the laundry.”

14. Pink golf ball wand... what could it be? About 2 feet long with a rubber golf ball at the end of the spring. Any guesses?

Answer: “It’s a spring ball massager.”

15. One side is an opener, but what is this 3-pronged clamp for?

Answer: “It’s for lifting the lid on Mason jars.”

16. “Metal spring with plastic ends, 20cm long, no writing or markings”

Answer: “It’s a hair remover used for little hairs on one’s face.”

17. Little pink spring thing. Made of rubber. With little space inside, not apt to hold a pencil or anything inside it.

Answer: “It wraps around phone and headphone cords by the plug to prevent them from breaking and fraying.”

18. Grid of small indents found at the beach, east coast of Scotland. No other related objects laying near it.

Answer: “This is a nice Stigmaria or a tree root fossil. The circles are scars where rootlets used to be attached to the main roots in spiral patterns.”

19. Found in a forest in Sweden, about 1 m from the ground. Hard to the touch, but drips liquid when knocked.

Answer: “It’s a polypore fungus that is exuding excess moisture, called guttation.”

20. “Hard button in the middle of granny-style panties.”

Answer: It’s a “quantum chip” for menstrual pain relief.

Do you have any unidentified objects? If you do, share them with us in the comments. Maybe the readers can help you figure out what they are.