“What Is This Thing?” — 25 Times People Asked The Internet To Identify Mysterious Objects This Week

1. “These came into our charity shop and we don’t know what it is. As seen in the picture they are colourless glass, comfortably held in the hand; and weigh maybe a couple hundred grams”

Solved by: AcceptableZebra9

I think these are display stands for rounded objects, like a crystal sphere or a painted egg.

alex_cllns (OP) Replied:

I thought something like that, but the central spoke coming up from the bottom means nothing would really sit in there.

neinta Replied:

It’s supposed to balance on the spike, with the upper ring holding it in place. Decorative eggs were (and are) intricately decorated on all sides.

SpaTowner Replied:

Which is eggsactly why you wouldn’t want such a chunky stand—it would obscure too much of the egg if it sat low enough to balance on the spike.

Confirmed by: alex_cllns (OP)
Hmm, interesting—thanks. Solved!

2. “What are the little cups beside this bar sink?”

Additional Details:

Bar sink in a 1970’s house. It’s all one sink , and on the side is a section with these three little removable (brass?) cups. No idea what they are for.

They aren’t set in tightly, just sitting there, like they come out to be washed. They each hold about 1/2 a cup of whatever.

Solved by: Js987

Drink garnishes.

Reply by: AlternativeOrange7 (OP)

I thought that too, but in metal? I can’t see someone putting limes or olives in them—unless maybe brass won’t react with citric acid or vinegar. And not to mention, gross uncovered.

Added details by: CoppertopTX

I worked for a gentleman back in the ’70s who had one of these sinks in his wet bar. The brass inserts on the right held little glass dishes for drink garnishes. One of my many duties was making sure they contained olives, onions, and lemon rinds for martinis during the weekly poker game.

3. “Got my windshield replaced and a small plastic bar appeared with a wire going through it.”

Additional Details:

2013 Acura RDX base model. Found this bar stuck on with some black adhesive after a windshield replacement.

Solved by: zachsilvey
Replacement antenna for the one that was in the OEM windshield that the aftermarket windshield doesn’t have.

Confirmed by: whispering-almonds (OP)

Likely Solved! Thanks.

4.

Additional Details:

It’s in a typical Manchester industrial terrace (UK). In one corner it rises above the floorboards by about a centimeter, otherwise it’s flush with the boards. It feels cold, like metal or stone. It looks super old. It’s totally flat – I thought it might be hatch or something but it has no handle.

Solved by: TheGutch74

I would assume it is for a wood or coal stove.

Additional details by: NotALookout

Yeah, that was my first thought too—some old stove plate to stop embers from burning the floor.

Confirmed by: sidandg (OP)

Solved! Thanks, everyone, for your help.

5. “16ft Circular Metal Object with Cutaway Found Washed-up on an Uninhabited Island in British Columbia”

Additional comments:

Some kind of ocean cheese? Grilled pacman? It’s huge, roughly the size of a large truck and made of metal

Solved by: 604whaler

Looks like an upside-down mooring can buoy. I’ve worked at port facilities that have these “cans.” The notch is for bringing up the anchor chain and connecting it to a mooring hook on the topside. The ships’ lines are then connected to the mooring hook.

Solved by: AnotherNadir (OP)

I’m pretty comfortable this is the answer. Solved!

6. “Two huge drum-shaped things on the corners of this air of billboards. They’re grey and covered in little squares. They weren’t there last week. Antennae of some kind…?”

Solved by: Ebnflo

Stealth canister for a cell site. The canister is usually made up of four panels, and the small mesh holes allow airflow through to the antenna equipment inside.

Source: I build cell sites for a living.

Solved by: m4ng0ju1ce (OP)

Solved! Thank you for the final confirmation

7. “Hollow Plastic pink/black ball buried in the ground, about 3” across. Seems to have condensation inside and is connected to a thin black rod leading deeper into the ground.”

More details:

While digging up some roots, I hit a plastic object a couple inches down. It turned out to be a full sphere connected to a thin black plastic rod or tube leading diagonally into the ground.

I can wiggle the ball up and down, but it seems firmly attached, and I didn’t want to pull too hard in case it’s something important.

Solved by: wrestlingpop78

Kind of looks like the ’90s toy Skip-It.

Solved by: TheNorthNova01

It’s totally a Skip-It. That one never made it to the dumpster.

Confirmed by: lewystud (OP)

Interesting! That would track with the other toys and ’90s artifacts we’ve found in the brush around the property. It also lines up with the attached plastic rod. I’ll have to dig deeper to confirm, but marking this: Solved!

8. “Found several of these small cages in the fire pit of our new home.. What are they?? They seem to have been there for a while as the ash was piled over a foot and I was maybe 1/4 of the way down when I found them. UP of Michigan if that matters”

Solved by: Dawgsquad00

They are suet bird feeders.

More details by: DeElDeAye

Those definitely look like my suet holders—one side opens to put the block of suet and seed inside. In my yard, raccoons steal them off a very complicated hook system on my birdfeeder pole and carry them away, so I’m sure that’s how they ended up in your fire pit. That would make even more sense if you ever cook food like s’mores over the fire pit, since it would leave a food smell around. Raccoons love to scrounge through rubble. They are snack bandits.

9. “What is this pleated fabric semicircle found in my bathroom?”

More Details:

I found this at the bottom of my laundry basket. I have no idea what it is, but it looks so carefully & specifically made that it must have a purpose.

It’s light fabric, not elastic

Solved by: Das_Panda_Senpai

Kinda looks like the top part of an umbrella—just below the metal tip.

Confirmed by: Blendvertise (OP)

Solved! Yes, the fabric matches my umbrella. Thanks!

10. “Found on the side of a semi truck screwed in, small orange plastic looking sensor thing. What is this?”

Solved by: Other-Law3949

It’s a tracking device. The shipping company Hapag-Lloyd has equipped their entire container fleet with them. They provide constant real-time tracking and location info.

Solved by: ItsMeRyen (OP)

Solved! Thanks for sating my idle curiosity.

11. “Found this in our new house. It’s rigid plastic, no flex, one solid piece, has a bit of weight to it. Four small circles on the back, one with letter B in it.”

Solved by: MildewTheMagical

It’s a sewn-in blinds weight—the term is “blinds weight without tabs” or “blinds weight without horns,” referring to the clips on the side for the string.

Since the weight is sewn in, they’re not needed. The OP would have to measure it to be sure, but it’s probably about 3.5″ wide.

Confirmed by: Neverwillieverrrr (OP)

Oh my goodness, I think you’re right! We still have one set of blinds we haven’t thrown out yet, and now I can see one inside it. Solved!

12. “What are these large white spheres recently installed on this building under renovation?”

Additional Details:

This is the roof of an industrial building that has been undergoing extensive renovations. Today, they installed about 20 of these spheres and you can see how large they are compared to that person next to them. They are doing HVAC work on the other side of the roof, so maybe this is somehow related?

Solved by: Random_Excuse7879

Probably a Starlink ground station. We had one set outside our office a couple of years ago.

Solved by: fapestniegd

This is the correct answer. It’s a Starlink ground station.

Solved by: HammerPutty (OP)

Solved!

13. “Firestone Solid axle solid rubber tires.”

Additional Details:

These have always been at my house. After applying some force, the wheels will turn independently.

Imprinted on the tire it says Static conductor and U.S.A.N. so probably navy related.

Solved by: L1011TriStar

The tires are for an old aircraft. You can see “Sky Champion” stamped if you zoom in.

As for exactly what aircraft they came from, that’s unknown. Most likely they were repurposed for a heavy bomb-loading cart in WWII. This type of tire was very common for both WWII aircraft and ground equipment. Used tires weren’t safe for planes anymore, but they still worked fine for bomb carts.

During the war, commonality mattered, so old airplane tires were often recycled this way. Given the extreme deterioration of these, it’s safe to say they’re from the 1940s. Bottom line: they were mass-produced WWII aircraft tires later reused on bomb carts, but the exact aircraft model can’t be determined.

Confirmed by: Lorca85 (OP)

Solved! Thanks, everybody—bomb carrying cart wheels from WWII.

14. “Brass/bronze object found buried on the beach in eastern Newfoundland, Canada. About 6-7″ in length.”

Solved by: APLJaKaT

Looks to me like it was the scoop for a water intake scupper.

Additional details by: eRChaulk

What you’ve got there looks like a sacrificial anode housing or a bronze through-hull fitting from a boat. A few key details point to this:

The material (bronze/brass with green patina) is common in marine hardware since it resists corrosion in seawater.

The shape: one end is a round pipe opening, the other tapers to a slot-like nozzle—typical for fittings that let water flow in or out of a boat hull while minimizing turbulence.

The size (6–7 inches) fits well with medium-sized vessel hardware.

Specifically, it looks like a bronze bilge pump or cooling water intake/outlet fitting that would have been mounted through a ship’s hull. The long tapered spout helps direct water flow.

Since you found it on a beach in Newfoundland, there’s a good chance it came from an old fishing boat or shipwreck. Bronze marine fittings often wash ashore after breaking loose.

15. “Found in a cabinet of super old office supplies. Thin flexible plastic in an L-shape, 7″ long, with two holes on the long side and included ‘snap’ pieces that match the width of the holes.”

Solved by: ZweitenMal

These give me medical records sorting rack vibes. Like the wall of records behind a nurse’s station at a doctor’s office, with the colored tabs on the folders.

Confirmed by: selianth (OP)

OHHHH, this is it. I’m such a dummy. We have that exact kind of file system (built into the supply cabinet), and this comment made me realize the hanging folders it comes with have the snaps.

No idea how I didn’t notice before. Thank you!

16. “Small metal unscrewable poker I found in a parking lot at a biker event, about 4-5 inches long, not sure if it’s a tool or self defense poker.”

More Details:

It comes apart but not sure what the springs are for besides keeping these other components from moving around. Any ideas guys?

Solved by: Mtolivepickle

It’s a Pittsburgh Pro Automatic Center Punch with Brass Handle.

Additional comment by: yellowfestiva

Dang, thought I was finally quick enough to get one and you beat me to it. I have one in my toolbox.

17. “These fell out of my dryer today. I don’t know if they’re from the machine or clothing. Small metal objects about the size of the tip of a pencil.”

Solved by: 10pmet

Looks like the inside pieces of a security tag that’s supposed to be removed at the store.

Solved by: baalto (OP)

Solved. That’s a crazy find.

10pmet Replied:

I only knew it because I had to forcefully deconstruct one a couple months back after the store forgot to remove it.

Not an easy job, despite what YouTube said. Next time I’ll just take it back to the store.

18. “Rusted metal tubes sticking out of the ground. About the size of a microwave, found in the middle of the forest beside a stream on the North Shore of Lake Superior.”

More Details:

Seems very old. Maybe part of a cabin that used to be there. Google Lens thought it was a motor of some kind. I’m wondering if maybe an old well? Just seemed so random and isolated.

Solved by: AR_geojag

It’s a shallow well jet pump.

Solved by: bulldog5253

Yep, it’s a Pentair 1 ½ hp water pump and motor to be exact.

Not that old either—this design has been around in the last 20 years.

Confirmed by: Eredic (OP)

Solved! I found one like it online after you commented. I really wish I knew the story here.

19. “Attached to the roof of my ca. 1920 house”

Additional Details:

Location: Victoria, Australia. Nothing seems to be connected to it from the outside.

Solved by: bloodyriz

It is a glass insulator for power lines.

Solved by: PlaneLiterature2135

Or porcelain

Solved by: Porcelainpm-for-nsw (OP)

Solved! Thanks, guys. I thought it was a cute little mushroom.

I wonder when or why the power line attachment moved away from here.

20. “Found these in my kitchen. They’re about 4 inches long, made of silicone, and loop around into a small circle and fastened. Found them with other baking supplies but I don’t know if they’d have any correlation to baking or not.”

Solved by: Trucountry

These are silicone no-tie shoelaces.

Solved by: CorgiGamer26 (OP)

Solved! Thank you so much 🙂

21. “Large stone monument or obelisk with Latin writing and images carved into it. Found in a forest clearing in Somerset, England. About 2 metres high.”

Solved by: Tricky_Extreme5862

Mother Shipton’s Stone, from the late 18th to early 19th century.

Confirmed by: Cpt_Dizzywhiskers (OP)

Solved!

Added details by: LordGeni

Mother Shipton got around a bit. It’d be a serious trek back to her cave.

More details by: portlandlad123

She has a pub in Portsmouth named after her. She may have popped in on the way down to Somerset.

22. “I found this in a drawer in my bathroom. It is roughy teardrop shaped with a diamond shaped texture on its surface. It is made of bendable rubber and has a groove that circles its outside edge. It is light weight and black or very dark grey.”

Solved by: c4ndy_bars

It looks like the grippy inside part on the handle of an eyelash curler.

Additional details by: Vulvas_n_Velveeta

Yes! Or even a pair of scissors/clippers.

That’s exactly what this is though, the inner handle of… something.
Reminds me of the scissors that came in my husband’s beard care kit.

Confirmed by: Kindestod (OP)

Wow! Sounds like this is it! I haven’t been able to find a corroborating pic yet though. Solved.

23. “5 sets of 4 horizontal lines across the road. Only on this side, nowhere else in the area.”

Solved by: jackrats

Rumble strip to grab your attention as you approach something, such as a roundabout, pedestrian crossing, etc.

24. “Little black plastic motherboard thing, found in footwell of Toyota yaris 2010, though could have been tracked in on shoe”

Solved by: Mackin-N-Cheese

No, it’s not a camera. It’s the PCB from a Tile Mate Bluetooth tracker.

Confirmed by: TangJTL (OP)

Solved! That’s the one—it must have dropped out of my tracker.

25. “Strange Plated Divet in Hardwood Floor”

More Details:

I’m in my third year living in this apartment, and I’m unsure what this plate is screwed into the floor? It seems like there used to be one right below it. It’s by the front door, but the door doesn’t swing in this direction.

Solved by: abigail_gentian

There was probably a previous door with a door-stop peg or lock that came off the bottom of the door and engaged with that divot.

Confirmed by: bimbfry (OP)

That makes sense, thank you so much!

Contributed by: DirtFoot79

You may still have a pocket door inside the walls. A lot of people just built walls and hid them. They could be beautiful hardwood sliding doors.