Maybe you have stumbled across some mysterious object while cleaning out an older relative’s house. Or, you may have inherited something from a grandparent that you cannot make head or tails of. There is only one way to satisfy our curiosity during such situations, and that is to ask the Internet. It has never been easier to get the answers, when earlier we may have had to scour through physical books and get on a call with experts. Here are 12 objects whose identities left the people asking shocked:
1. ’’My mom found this in my dad’s drawer. Is it what I am afraid of?’’
Answer: The classic Sunbeam Mixmaster had a juicer attachment, a bowl that attached to the top of the mixer. This is the spout the juice would pour out of. The wire part held a little strainer to filter out pulp.
2. ’’What’s this insanely heavy glass with bubbles inside? The inscription says 1978.’’
Answer: Looks like a paperweight used to keep stacks of papers from blowing off of the desk if there is a breeze. They are mostly used as decorations now.
3. ’’What’s this weird glass ball, suspended by screws, in a metal frame, bronze or gold color in appearance?’’
Answer: It is a Campbell-Stokes sunshine recorder. You place a strip of card into one set of grooves in the piece that curves behind the sphere, point the opposite side of the sphere towards the equator, and the sphere will focus the sunlight to burn a track on the card. The card has hours marked, and more the card is burnt, the brighter the sunlight was.
4. ’’What’s this thick round wooden stick with a cylindrical structure on one end?’’
Answer: Possibly used with a Singing Bell. You rub the stick lightly around the edge and the bell starts vibrating. You might have seen the same effect with glasses.
5. ’’What’s this three-legged stool with a very narrow back, does it serve a specific purpose?’’
Answer: It’s a milking stool, 3-legged birthing style spinning chair. So basically, no special use.
6. ’’I found this at nan’s house, it’s a glass vase with metal grill inside.’’
Answer: It’s for arranging cut flowers (a rose bowl).
7. ’’This thing is made of leather, and about 15″ in length. Any ideas?’’
Answer: It looks like a decorative tassel from a purse.
8. ’’I found this stainless-steel object when cleaning out a lab space. Has an “H” in a diamond stamp.’’
Answer: It’s a glass tube cutter! I used it many times in chemistry lab.
9. ’’I found this in an old cabinet, made entirely of glass with narrowing holes all the way through.’’
Answer: It’s a flower frog, used to hold a flower arrangement in a vase. Made obsolete by foam and gels.
10. ’’Does anyone know what the purpose of the little hole on the back of this empty gold ring is?’’
Answer: The reason it has a hole is to prevent air pressure changes from damaging the ring.
11. ’’What is this glass object? It’s fairly heavy, has no markings, and a very narrow hole on top.’’
Answer: It’s an oil candle.
12. ’’This ring was buried in my garden. After cleaning it, I saw that it doesn’t look like an ordinary ring. Any ideas?’’
Answer: This is heartbreaking. The ring is worn as a mourning ring. It’s a Georgian/early Victorian ring whose initials belong to the lost loved one. They were typically made from gold (18k+) and enameled in black. It looks like yours was made around the 1820s-40s.
Are you searching for another exciting compilation of mysterious finds? If so, you definitely don’t want to skip this article!
Preview photo credit Skusci / Reddit
