What Is This Thing? - 31 Odd and Unique Items With Simple Explanations
Nathan Johnson
Published
07/10/2024
in
ftw
Explore a fascinating collection of 31 odd and unique items, each with its own intriguing backstory. From the quirky to the sentimental, this gallery showcases an array of objects that might leave you scratching your head at first glance—but don’t worry, the simple explanations will satisfy your curiosity.
Whether it’s an antique tool with an unexpected use, a peculiar decorative piece, or a practical item from a bygone era, these treasures are sure to spark conversation and wonder.
Perfect for lovers of history, design, or just the wonderfully weird, this gallery invites you to uncover the stories behind the strangest possessions people have encountered. You might even be inspired to take a closer look at the peculiar objects in your own life!
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1.
Large Circular Glass Object. Measures 6.75″ x 2″. Has been laying around as a conversation piece for many years, but no one knows what it is or where it came from. A: Looks to me like a lens for a train signal light. -
2.
Wooden box containing small metal pieces with images on…also contains thin brass pieces of various lengths. A: Letterpress for sure. Wooden box containing small metal pieces with images on…also contains thin brass pieces of various lengths. A: Letterpress for sure. -
3.
Weird glass ball, suspended by screws, in a metal frame, bronze or gold colour in appearance. A: 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.
It’s 5 small tubes packed in an waterproof case (size 4.5cm) A: These are old blasting caps. -
5.
Found in the basement of the physics department. A: Pretty sure it’s some kind of static generator. There are a few designs, like Wimhurst and Bonetti. -
6.
Heavy metal device that has instructions to set on stove. Handle of the roller appears to have 1880 on it. A: It’s a crimping/fluting iron. -
7.
2 overlapping pieces of plastic with a grid design affixed to the wall of a rental property. A: It is a crack gauge. The device will move over time if the crack it covers expands. When installed, it’s set to the center, and over time, any slow movement can be tracked. -
8.
Found four of these capsules filled with what appears to be metal shavings? A: It’s a pill for ruminant animals. -
9.
Too small for neck, too floppy for wrist, no marking or branding… how on earth do you wear this thing? Is it missing a piece? A: The strap goes around the wrist and the ring goes on the middle finger. -
10.
Pumpkin thing opens on a hinge, latch inside with a small glass jar. A sharp pin is attached to the jar. There’s a flat glass surface that opens to reveal a little compartment. A: It might be a “vinaigrette,” a piece of jewelry containing smelling salts or perfume that women hung from a chatelaine chain in Victorian times. -
11.
Ammunition with a weird shiny tip, could be 30mm? Worried If inert or not. Found on glacier in Swiss.A: Do not handle suspected UXO under any circumstances. -
12.
Any ideas what this is? It has fine tuning double dials on the front, uses a lissen grid bias battery, turned up in a vintage collection.A: That is an old am radio. There is a connector on the right rear corner for hooking up headphone or speaker. Those wouldn’t have produced very much sound and were usually used with an old style single sided headphone. One dial is course tune and the other is fine tune. The antenna is that little tube with the green wire wrapped around it. Also on the back at the bottom, there were sometimes connectors for external antenna but don’t hook up to the wrong ones. It fairly easy to test and figure if you know anything about electronics. -
13.
Small metal screw with hole in end that second flat screw screws into – possibly to do with picture hanging with a picture rail. A: Its for wire. It gets threaded through the hole and the secondary screw holds it into place. -
14.
Found this thing on a german graveyard on nearly every grave – What is this little ‘bowl’-like thing? There was also a little metal-stick in it. A: The stick is a sprinkler for holy water. Apparently it’s called Aspergillum -
15.
Odd Switch on Wall, turned it last night and now their is an odd vibrating noice coming from the ceiling. A: Timer switch for a fan/light, typically found in bathrooms for exhaust fans or heat lamps. -
16.
Heavy rounded plastic from the beach, warnings in English and French, seems like it was part of a sphere? A: Firework shell. -
17.
Small “Big Cat” token. Found while cleaning out childhood bedroom A: It’s from a First Robotics team. 3039 is Wildcat Robotics. It’s probably something they made to give out at competitions. -
18.
Metal and glass. Top has magnifying lens and comes off. ca 1870, Germany. A: It’s called a seed microscope. -
19.
Green remote with 2 metal prongs and a radiant “I” as a registered trademark on the device. Donated to the library, possibly as a coding tool? A: Farmtech bot anne. Its a robot. The metal prongs are dc motors, probably for locomotion. -
20.
Some sort of looking glass? Wood end pieces, metal middle, glass lenses on both sides. Comes apart. When you look through, you see upside down. A: It’s an antique field pocket microscope. -
21.
My apartment builder fixed this random looking thing on the roof .Not sure what it is and what it does. It was recently fixed and I’m not sure if it is anything significant. Can anyone fill in my curiosity. A: It’s a reflector for surveying. Most likely used to determine building movement/settling over time. -
22.
A large capsule like device found in a London food court, there were 6 of them all in close proximity to each other and were all entirely silent. Probably about a foot long and 6 inches in diameter. A: It’s a pretty expensive speaker. -
23.
WITT seems to be a very thick optical line. A: Fiber optic line for a light fixture. They’re used in locations where you can’t have a spark or heat, or need a particularly small light source that puts out a lot of light. -
24.
What is this? Some sort of small black electronic device with wires coming out of it. More info in the captions. A: It’s the sounder for reverse parking sensors. The button will turn it on or off or change the tone. -
25.
White crystallised substance forming square patterns. Big clump of it on one slide, randomly appeared in glass. A: Almost certainly salt. Good ol’ NaCl, or table salt. -
26.
What is this small metal piece sticking out on our staircase? It’s about 3 inches tall and the protruding piece doesn’t move. A: It’s where you tie off an old drying line to set the height. -
27.
What is this heavy piece of glass? It has six “cups” to put something in and the bottom is cone shapes. A: It’s a tea light candle holder. -
28.
Odd extension to house eaves in central London – maybe some kind of gantry A: Looks like one of the old style sign hangers, like for a pub or shop. -
29.
Looks like one of the old style sign hangers, like for a pub or shop. A: Salt and pepper shaker -
30.
5 inch tall plastic object found in a back office. The “pump” can be depressed onto a thin metal rod connected at the base. A: That is a “safety” version of a memo/receipt spike. You put the ticket or recept on the rod and push the top down punching the paper onto the rod. -
31.
Small metal item. Probably chrome or stainless steel. A: It’s the leg from an articulated bear keychain.
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Replay - What Is This Thing? - 31 Odd and Unique Items With Simple Explanations
Large Circular Glass Object. Measures 6.75″ x 2″. Has been laying around as a conversation piece for many years, but no one knows what it is or where it came from. A: Looks to me like a lens for a train signal light.
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