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

1. “What are these structures that were found on my friends property in Malibu after the fire?”

Solved By Multiple Users:

Probably old water or utility infrastructure, not WWII bunkers. Malibu didn’t have pillboxes inland. These are likely spring boxes or cisterns from old ranch systems—those square holes were for pipes or access. The fire just uncovered them. Cool relics, but not military.

2. “This was found in a river under a bridge. It is very heavy. Probably around 10 pounds. 8x3x1 inches in size. It seems to be some sort of softish metal.”

Solved By: u/LinearFluid

This is an Indian Yantra — specifically, a Rahu Yantra. It’s placed in certain locations as a protective object.

The Rahu Yantra is a mystical diagram used in Hindu astrology to reduce the negative effects of the planet Rahu and attract positive energy related to ambition, success, and wealth. It features symbols and mantras tied to Rahu, which is considered a malefic celestial body in Vedic astrology — the head of a demon that causes eclipses.

Devotees use the Rahu Yantra for protection from hidden enemies, to prevent illness, overcome karmic blockages, and find relief from negative influences.

3. “What are these metal objects I found half buried in a stream bank?”

More Information: 



I found three of these objects clustered together in the side of a small stream in the bottom of a ravine in northwestern Illinois. The property had a farm on it in the early 1900s, prior to being developed into a residential area. I believe there was coal mining in the area as well. Knife for scale, about 11.5”. TIA!

Solved By: u/mudmodeller

Centre hubs from cart wheels.

u/Senior-Pie3609 Added:

I agree. Those are definitely wagon wheel hubs.

u/RillTread (OP) Added:

Solved! Very cool, thank you.

u/archaeobill Added:
Specifically, they are Sarven-style hubs.

4. “Object given to me with art supplies, looks like the tip of a stylus made of wood”

More Information: 



Hello! My grandma gave me a bag of sketchbooks and this was in it. The black nib feels like it’s made of some sort of rubber or plastic.

Might have been made by my grandpa, he does woodworking.

Solved By: u/askingducks

That’s a phone stand/phone stylus.

5. “White foam (maybe?) on cardboard found under my mom-in-law’s car”

More Information: 



This morning, my mother-in-law went outside and found this under her car. she lives alone, so it spooked her a bit.

She doesn’t know a lot of people in the area (and we can’t think of anyone that would’ve put it there without mentioning something), and nobody visited the last couple of days.

We thought maybe it could be debris, but we still can’t explain how it got there, since it wasn’t windy.

Does anyone have any ideas as to what this might be? Any help would be greatly appreciated!!

Solved By: u/benedictus:

It looks to me like a piece of Kraft faced fiberglass batt insulation. It may have fallen off of a truck..

u/TheRealPitabred Added:

Seconded. It’s fairly light as well, if it’s been windy at all lately it could have blown there. Nothing to worry about, just use gloves picking it up and throwing it out.

u/shoobe01 Added:

For the appearance there: this. No one put it there, it blew away from somewhere else and lodged there. Nothing nefarious. Throw it away.

u/GitEmSteveDave Added:

Also an animal may have been dragging it for nest making.

u/Neutral-President Added:

Yup. It could have blown off a construction site.

6. “I found this thing in a flat I am renting in Italy, seems to ve wooden and something related the clothing. Does anybody know what this is?”

Solved By: u/RelativeSmoke2499

It’s a trouser press. Usually modern ones are electrically heated, but this one looks like it just manually presses your suit trousers overnight. Hang your jacket on the hanger, too.

u/369_Clive Added:

Yes. My father had one made by British brand CORBY, which was identical but electrically heated.

The idea of removing clothing that’s been in contact with your body all day and then compressing it (and with heat!) always sounded rather unpleasant, lol. Used to be popular in better-quality UK hotels.

u/Cow_Launcher Added:

Still is! You probably won’t find them in your average chain hotel anymore, but most boutique or high-end country hotels still have them.

Perfect for putting an accidental double crease in your trousers when you stumble into your room at 1am and clumsily wedge them in, having never used one before because you’re normally a Premier Inn sort of guy.

Next morning you realise you don’t have time to redo them, so you head to breakfast with tramlines down your legs — and everyone knows exactly how much you enjoyed the open bar.

But it’s fine, because your boss and your clients do too.

True story.

7. “Wire-wrapped wood frame in two pieces with plastic bits on the ends, estate sale”

Solved By: u/Advanced-Humor978

Hello! This is a 1:1 choke coil for what looks like an HF transmitter. Fairly high wattage judging on the wire gauge.

The closest I can find in the wild is this picture here:

If you’re super curious though, there might be some ham radio subs that could help out.

I’ve never done any HF transmitting, only receiving, and haven’t needed anything this big.

8. “Partner found this under the wardrobe in our new flat. Almost looks like a box within a box with slits in the top, measures about 20cm long and was filled with a clear liquid.”

More Information: 



At first we thought the liquid was water but I splashed some on my lip by mistake and it tasted very strong- like a combination of salty seawater and bleach/cleaner. My hands were also dry and cracking after I touched it and it stung quite a lot.

If it helps the landlord was in the process of implementing a lot of pest control measures when we first moved so my first guess would be some kind of fly trapping device?

Solved By: u/ARSONITE

It’s a dehumidifier — one of those little moisture absorber boxes. They pull excess humidity out of the air, usually in spots like bathrooms, closets, kitchens, or even offices.

9. “Small V shaped yellow metal thing with serrated edged half circle blades bolted in between what might be handles”

Solved By: u/Skittles_the_Unicorn

It’s a device used to cut corn kernels off of the cob.

10. “My wife found these while going through her crafting supplies. They are about 5 inches long and made of plastic. We both recognize them, but neither of us can remember what they are or what they are for.”

Solved By: u/5CatsNoWaiting

They’re Elsie Stix! They were the handles from the stick-mounted ice cream bars made by Borden’s Ice Cream. We had them in the 1970s — other companies just used wooden sticks.

If you saved enough of them, you could make all kinds of nifty little structures. I made pens and barns for my smaller model horses and used them as roof gables for tents for my tiny stuffed animals.

Eventually, they started selling just the Stix in big packages so arts & crafts programs could buy them in bulk. Total buzzkill in my tiny-person-at-the-time opinion.

u/MixedBerryCompote Added:

We were only allowed Bordens as a kid. It was a union shop! Outta here with those hoodsies.

u/jprefect Added:

That’s a neat bit of labor history 🙂

u/that-old-broad Added:

Thank you so much for posting this. When I saw the image I was transported back to my childhood, but for some reason my mind went to fancy popsicles.

Fun fact: Elmer the bull (the glue guy) is Elsie’s husband.

11. “This oddly shaped piece of steel with leather sewn over it was found in my boat after we rented it out.”

Solved By: u/SteakGetter

It’s a leather car seat hook.

12. “Black, felt, small rectangle found on car bumper along with dent”

More Information: 



Trying to identify what this small piece of felt is and where it could’ve come from.

Someone hit my car with something (maybe a moving cart or a box spring??) in my apartment parking lot and left this piece attached.

It is a very uniform rectangle that looks as though it’s been torn on the top and bottom ends.

Any info on what it could’ve come from is appreciated!

Solved By: u/naturalorange

Have you been through a car wash recently? Looks like maybe part of one of those mops or brushes got caught under some trim. Otherwise, it does look like the material from a mattress, box spring, or maybe underneath a couch.

u/TruthH4mm3r Added:

This is exactly what it is. I’ve had them break off and get stuck in my car around the lights. Never dented it though.

u/Pork_Chompk Added:

The dent was probably already there and what caused the brush to get stuck.

u/_skank_hunt42 Added:

I used to work at a car wash. This is the most likely scenario in my mind.

13. “Tube that is blowing air in my crawl space.”

More Information: 



It’s not connected to anything on the end. It’s just lightly blowing air out.

Solved By: u/renardvulpes

Radon extraction system. If it’s installed, that means there’s enough radon in the house to need extraction, therefore the system should be functional. You should either have it repaired, or have the house tested. It’s possible that the last owner was a radium collector, but it’s more likely that the building materials are off-gassing radon.

Edit: this is a normal thing, just make sure the system works.

u/Rialas_HalfToast Added:

Not sure why the building materials would be off-gassing radon, typically it’s in the soil in areas where granite is present, especially where glaciers have previously been.

u/renardvulpes Added:

You’re correct. Although I will add that it can come from cement and metal components welded with thorium welding rods.

14. “Found this on the window sill in my office. Plastic, about 6inches long, 30 grams, the cone thing at the end is screwed in so can come out.”

Solved By: u/chocolateboomslang

Looks like some kind of duster handle.

Probably left by cleaners, whatever it is.

15. “Found this handmade-looking box with lenses in a house bought from a couple running a printing business. Has a viewing tray, things look smaller no matter which way you look into it?”

Solved By: u/ewohwerd

It looks like a common type of solar observation telescope. Not sure I could find a reference but if so, assembling it the right way would project an image onto that white square bit.

16. “Small Brass Rack with Pegs found in an Antique Shop”

More Information: 



It looks like a holder or rack. The photo is “as found.”

Should I attempt to clean or polish it? Brasso?

Solved By: u/prustage

It is a brass pen holder like this one, dated 1870 .

17. “Small metal pieces in a plastic container found in a parking lot. I don’t have a banana but I do have a banana flavored tape measure.”

Solved By: u/Nosyreader

Oh, I know exactly what those are because I got one a couple of days ago. They are for this little dude.

You can put them on his face (magnetic). It’s called “Shake Your Feet Happily” ( don’t ask me why haha)

18. “What is this wavy metal hand tool?”

More Information: 



My guess is it’s a funky ruffle potato chip cutter?

Solved By: u/Anti_colonialist

It’s a vegetable crinkler.

19. “What is on the other side of this Bottle opener?”

More Information: 



I know this is a bottle opener, but what is that metal for on the other side?

It’s definitely uncovered. It looks like it’s made for something specific.

Solved By: u/thefrenchflex

It’s used for opening soda/beer/pop can tabs.

20. “Hanging down from the roof at a Moroccan train station. It looks thin, fluffy and possibly dead-rodent related?”

More Information: 



Just looked up and saw this, wondering what in the world it could be?

It’s my first time to Morocco so this could be obvious to anyone that is knowledgeable on the subject!

Apologies for the less than ideal photo but if anyone replies in the next few minutes I should be able to take another one!

Solved By: u/That_wrench_wench

Is it possibly a cable that’s meant to support the dropped ceiling panels, and it’s come unattached with some insulation?

u/Charlie_Warlie Added:

That could very well be a ceiling tie that was attached to fire proofing spray but become detached.

u/MsBeef Added:

I drove over insulation in the road once. Some got caught around my axle. It looked exactly like a cat—like I had multiple people worried about it on the remainder of my drive home. It could totally be insulation!

21. “Thumb-sized 3d Printed Wedge from Cat Adoption goodie bag.”

More Information: 



The shelter gave us a goodie bag care package with the cat that we adopted.

Other items were things like treats, food samples, and toys, but we’re stumped on what this thumb-sized 3d printed wedge is for. Has the shelter’s logo printed on it.

Could be just a keychain, but why make it come to a sharp, scraper edge?

Solved By: u/fabalaupland

This is for helping to open the tabs on canned wet food, shove it under and pull up for more leverage.

22. “Wooden block or briefcase looking item with rope handle”

Solved By: u/Infinite_Entry_5051

This is an outrigger pad for heavy equipment.

23. “This rotating drum thing I found in the garage.”

More Information: 



Found this drum thing in my grandpa’s garage. The inside drum spins (there’s an electric motor underneath).

First I thought it’s honey extractor but the inside drum seems entirely too small to fit (modern day) combs inside.

Grandpa was a car mechanic if maybe this helps.

Solved By: u/PuttingFishOnJupiter

Clothes spin dryer. Should have a hand crank or motor to spin the rubber bladder in the center.

u/System__Shutdown (OP) Replied:

So far this seems the most plausible explanation. However, the inner drum only has small holes at the bottom rim—not all over like vintage dryers I’ve seen online.

u/Whakt Replied:

Looks like an early one. Googled “sicco Elbtalwerk” and found a bunch that look like this.

24. “Small metal fist, less than half an inch long.”

Solved By: u/Fast_Cod1883

It’s The Fig. Diverse meanings worldwide, ranging from good fortune and protection in Portugal, Brazil, and some parts of Spain to rude, vulgar, or insulting gestures in Italy, Russia, Slavic countries, and parts of Asia, similar to the “middle finger”.

u/3OsInGooose Added:

This is the answer. In Brazil at least these are sold as pendants/charms for necklaces, and intended to mean good luck (similar to a four-leaf clover pendant)

25. “Thought it was a giant clothespin when I saw it in the river. Light and hollow, made of Bakelite or other older plastic. Hole on the flat.”

More Information:

Found in a river.

Solved By: u/LogickBurn

It’s a vintage yellow clothespin squeaker baby toy. Used to play with that exact one at my grandparents house as a kid.

Just unlocked a lot of memories from my childhood.