“What Is This Thing?” — 25 Times People Asked The Internet To Identify Mysterious Objects This Week
Every week the internet solves a bunch of mysteries nobody asked for, and I love it. You can hand Reddit a blurry photo of a metal doodad you found in your grandpa’s shed, and within ten minutes, a guy named Butterscotch will confidently tell you it’s a 1940s pastry cutter, a furnace vent, or an egg-peeling contraption you didn’t know existed.
Here are the best “What is this thing?” discoveries from the past week. People found everything from oddly shaped tools to mystery vents to objects that looked like props from a Wes Anderson movie until Reddit cleared things up.
It’s weirdly satisfying watching strangers on the internet turn into amateur detectives… and being right way more often than they should be.
1. “2-foot-ish Air-fryer-looking white-plastic thing with two metallic orbs and flashing lights moving on the road”
“Didn’t get to pass it, thought it might be a delivery robot or something?”
Answer:
jackrats: It’s a recumbent bicycle with an aerodynamic fairing — a velomobile. Similar one: link
jackrats: And here’s a sighting of what appears to be the same one as yours: link
Mr_Elroy_Jetson: “There was an adult man inside!” I love Facebook.
ab3nnion: “Very cumbersome. Hard work with non-stop pedaling is what I saw.” lol
SurpriseItsFine: Solved!
2. “Kitchen Aid wire cage with lid. Found in the kitchen.”
“A friend found this in her cupboard and thinks it might have been there when she moved in. It has a stainless steel(?) cage with mesh and feet at the bottom. Suggestions from Google Lens say it might be a wire basket to store fruit or a dishwasher basket to wash small utensils, mixer parts, bottle nipples, etc.”
Answer:
Opposite_Bodybuilder: Cutlery holder. Nothing to do with KitchenAid.
ParticularMoose: This looks like a terrible cutlery holder. Everything would fall through!
ouranocean: Thanks for your help everyone! Turns out the plastic part on the top is from a KitchenAid immersion blender kit that included a measuring/blending cup with this lid and a cutlery holder.
The lid appears to be a near-perfect fit on top of the cutlery holder.
3. “McDonald’s secondary external structures with barred doors seen in cities and more populous areas”
Answer:
luvbeyondwords: It states in this article that at one time it was a gazebo, but it was later gated off: link
xzelldx: FTA for those who don’t want to click:
“Suarez’s parents opened the McDonald’s in the 1980s. The gazebo was built to maintain the historic character of the city next to a fast food restaurant. For a long time, the gazebo was open with benches where people could relax. Suarez said a past McDonald’s manager got married in the gazebo, and former Mayor Janice Stork officiated the wedding. Eventually, officials chose to block access because it was being ‘misused.’”
MankindsMistake: This is it, SOLVED!
4. “Wife remembers buying this, but has no memory of what it is for. Both red ends can come off.”
Answer:
Endor96: Boiled egg peeler — put a boiled egg in, add water, and shake.
Stander1979: Awesome, thanks.
5. “Beaded pouch. Victorian Era? The picture describes the thing”
Answer:
opinionatedasheck: Given the floral embroidery, it’s a ladies’ “pocket” rather than a miser’s purse. Worn on the petticoat under the overdress, accessed through a slit in the overdress, and hung off the petticoat string.
Fairly inaccessible to pickpockets too — and that’s where the word started. Women have been complaining about not having pockets for so long; this is one of the early ones! Great find! Thanks for sharing. 🙂
Far_Celery8494: Solved! Thanks for the info.
6. “Half-covered spoon, 21g, maybe silver. Probably from the 1960s.”
“It belongs to a friend of mine since she was a kid, 50-some years ago. She wants to know what it is supposed to be used for.”
Answer:
GoblinLoblaw: Is the end open? If so, it’s a medicine spoon for giving kids medicine.
meipsus: Solved! Thank you, that was fast!
7. “What is this tiny glass thing? It’s completely hollow, has a cork stopper, about 6” tall”
Answer:
Helpful-Fruit-1404: An inkwell.
_doodlebugs: This is absolutely it. Thank you! Solved.
mortaine: Oooh, I need one of these! I have the glass pen, but I’ve never seen this style of well before! I love this sub.
HumanCondition406: Not the actual inkwell, but a cleaning/pen station for a glass pen.
8. “Lots of tiny drawers, stackable, and extremely heavy!”
“This was my grandpa’s. He was a dentist, and later in life got heavily in to lapidary. He used this to store rock slabs, but I don’t think that was the original purpose.
It weighs around 30lbs and is solid metal. It has feet on the bottom that match indents on the top, so designed to be stacked.
Based on the labels on the front of the drawers, my guess is microfilms or some other small flat file – maybe computer cards?
The drawers slide all the way out and can hinge downward before they are actually “out” of the case.
For scale: 6-8” wide, ~18” tall and about the same deep. Didn’t have any bananas with me, sorry.
What is it?!”
Answer:
LinearFluid: It is called a Visible Records filing cabinet. It’s missing a piece for each drawer that holds index cards which fold flat when the drawer is closed, then flip up so you can see the records when opened. Often referred to as a Kardex after the most prominent company that makes them. Wiki: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Visible_file
FanaticalOP: We still call our Excel file with thousands of products and the whole category structure a Kardex where I work.
gerwen: Our ERP software refers to the transaction record as the Cardex.
LadyVimes: Nurses have a Kardex too — basically a quick overview of the patient for change-of-shift reports.
BabyWrinkles: Solved!
9. “Tiny ruler with no visable brand marks. Found in a jewelry box at an estate sale.”
“Found this tiny ruler, wasn’t sure what it could be used for with it being so small.”
Answer:
HalcyonArcher: I think it’s the centerpiece for a slide rule tie clip.
Violenna: Ty!! Solved!
Accurate_Storage_443: That makes sense — it’s perfect for a cool retro accessory or something.
10. “Lightweight kitchen tool – seems to function as a roller of some sort?”
“What does this thing do?”
Answer:
Davidrainford: I think it’s a roller for cutting circles of pastry to make dumplings: https://www.procook.co.uk/product/procook-dumpling-maker-set-2-piece
Responsible-Cloud664: Solved! Thank you!
11. “No idea what it could be other than a cover of some kind, small, prob aluminium, size of a finger”
Answer:
Fedexpilot: Vintage cap gun.
99posse: Rifle, most likely.
RandomUser7914: Definitely rifle, based on the grip’s angle.
No_Adagio348: Thanks, solved!
12. “What is this odd black, shiny plate with wires coming into it? It makes a buzzing noise too”
“I have no clue what it connects to, how to turn it on or off or who installed it.”
Answer:
SSL8000: OK, I am stupid. I looked and saw that the pipe coming out of the middle reaches all the way to the other side of the wall, and then remembered there’s a big handle in that room. That handle is a dimmer that goes to a set of three ceiling lamps. I tested it with a multimeter: when the lights are all the way up, I got around 7V; when they are down, it went to around 64V. So I guess now I know what it does, but I still don’t have info about what this thing is or how to replace it. My guess is it’s from the 50s; the church was built in the 19th century, and there are writings on the asbestos wall saying 196x, 195x.
Then-Understanding85: Rotary dimmer induction coil. Fairly normal for those to buzz. You’ll replace it with a modern dimmer system if it goes bad (or, better yet, a licensed electrician will replace it).
Edit: I initially discounted this being a rheostat because those are direct control mechanisms and this is missing any kind of control surface. Now that I’ve had a moment, it’s more likely this was a rheostat that was upgraded. They took off the front control mechanism, wired straight through the old housing, capped it with a thinner metal face, and put a solid-state dimmer somewhere else.
13. “Metal item found in a box of hand tools”
“Pulled this out of a box of hand tools while packing up my late father-in-law’s apartment. About 8″ long.
The edges of the shaft are sharp. Text reads: BTRFLD – CANADA – 7/16 8° INC – HSW 773”
Answer:
Larry_Safari: Reaming tool. Fits into lathe tailstock taper.
8000BNS42: Reaming tool. Fits into lathe tailstock taper—Morse Taper. Think it’s an MT1.
topological_rabbit: Yep, that’s a Morse taper for sure. I work at a machine shop; we’ve got a whole drawer of those.
NorahGretz: When’s the last time you can recall removing one from said drawer?
tdawgtg: Lmao, ain’t that the truth. My shop has shaper tooling laying around and we haven’t had a shaper in 10+ years.
14. “Came with a whittling kit; solid, smells and writes like a crayon for the most part”
“If it is a crayon then why is it shaped like this and in a woodcarving kit?”
Answer:
Mackin-N-Cheese: No, it’s not a camera. Polishing/stropping compound: Reddit link — YouTube link
MageOfFur: Solved! Thank you!
Whiskey4theholyghost: It should be chromium oxide, specifically.
15. “Metal, probably copper, rotates to different sized holes”
Answer:
Coptain: It looks like a vent for a furnace, used to regulate the air coming in to control the flame.
just_lurking_Ecnal: That made me recall seeing something like this on an old Coleman kettle charcoal grill, used to regulate airflow in and through the charcoal while the lid is on.
froction: The word “furness” brings to mind an animal that is somehow royalty. “Greeting, Your Furness, how are things in the capital?”
Charming_Screen4122: Yup, a vent from an older wood stove.
16. “Metal, black, approximately 1 foot long by 9 inches wide, fits neatly in a pegboard, found in garage, does not move, does not make noise”
Answer:
medikB: Appears to be a hook for a display rack. The four loops should be facing forward — rotate it up 90°.
grasshopper_jo: No idea why we would have it, but I’ll take it as solved.
Odd-Solid-5135: Probably because you have a pegboard and the random hardware that goes with it. I have one in my basement and still find random hooks and racks around the house. I bought my grandparents’ house along with their leftovers when they moved to a nursing facility, so I didn’t start with a clean space.
17. “Ceramic holder of some kind? Small? Business card size? From an elderly relative.”
“Inherited from a deceased relative. Google lens says a calling card holder??”
Answer:
sandicecream: Toothpick holder like this one: https://www.ebay.com/itm/365183969087
CableSufficient2788: Ooooo yes!! TY
18. “What is the small metal threaded piece in the middle? It has a hole in one end and threads on the other end. It is pretty light, assuming aluminum. Found in an old tackle box from the thrift.”
“As stated this was found in an old tackle box. The item in question is the metal piece in the middle, it is about 8mm wide at the round part and has threads. The other end is flattened out and has a hole in it. I checked the rest of the tackle box and didn’t see anything it could go with, maybe it’s part of a rod or fishing boat or something? Thank you for the help!”
Answer:
Junkpunch44: It looks like an attachment for a rifle cleaning kit.
wooddoug: Or shotgun.
collectorofsouls5a7d: This is 100% correct. That tip is for holding a swatch of cleaning cloth and is way too big for a rifle. Mark it solve
19. “Small metal cylinder found in a parking lot. Diameter of 1.3cm, height of 0.9cm, 9 grams, slightly magnetic but not enough to hold its weight.”
Answer:
Butterscotch1664: Looks like a slug from CNC plasma/laser cutting steel. When cutting a circle, you start in the middle to avoid a fat blowout messing up the shape.
Beginning-Stranger88: Can confirm — laser operator here.
Offensive-Panfish: Ah, seems very likely. Though it was in a lot from a plant nursery. How interesting, thank you! Solved!
20. “What is this small mental button like object?”
“As the title says. It’s very light in weight. Seems old. Thanks!”
Answer:
ricekrispiesc: It’s a seal for a container or trailer that indicates the cargo has been inspected by customs and doesn’t need to be inspected again as long as the paperwork matches and the seal is intact.
Mission_Restaurant_3: Okay brilliant, thank you. Have you any idea about the number? It’s not a date, is it?
ricekrispiesc: My understanding is that the number is a serial number of the seal so it is traceable with the paperwork.
Mission_Restaurant_3: Perfect, thank you. I will mark this as solved! What a productive day, cheers.
CircularRobert: For curiosity’s sake, where did you find it?
Mission_Restaurant_3: I think it belonged to my papa. I’ve had it for a while now, can’t remember when it first came into my possession.
21. “Found in vehicle. Small silver/mirror plastic half circle. 1.75” wide. Feels cheap/lightweight”
Answer:
AuntieLaLa420: How about where the headrest inserts into the top of the seat?
DaddyAndy: Solved!
RedOctober8752: Yup, that would get my vote. I was originally thinking it went around a shifter, but that wouldn’t make sense with the shifter having to move. Saw this — bingo, fits the bill.
retardrabbit: Yup. First place I’d look.
22. “27g rusted metal cylinder with angled tip”
“Found in the dirt at my neighborhood park in New Orleans”
Answer:
lokicramer: It’s 1000% lipstick, 1920s–40s. It will be bright red and have an old lady perfume mixed in with it. The lipstick will still be inside, the same as the day it was dropped. The entire case slides up from the ridged bottom; you can pry it apart if you’re curious. It doesn’t really hold any value.
ripeaspeaches: Solved! We got it open.
23. “Red plastic, and a silver metal that looks oxidized or badly beaten, one end is slightly angled and the other end has a very thin slot”
Answer:
laddjames: It is a soldering tool. The end with the slot holds a wire if needed.
SCR_RAC: They came with a Weller soldering gun kit and were used to hold wires in place for soldering.
PatrisAster: SOLVED! I do have one of those in its original case in my garage toolbox. The tool was just sitting in a drawer in a bedroom.
Snellyman: The pointy end is to clean out solder from holes in terminals, and the slot is used to bend solid wire ends to hook into the same terminals.
PatrisAster: Good to know. I’ve never used my grandfather’s Weller myself since I have a modern soldering station. I’ll return it to its case and write myself a note on its use.
24. “Gray, 3” wide, barely translucent bulb on ceiling in apartment bedroom”
“What is this thing? It is the only other object on the ceiling (apart from a light) in the bedroom of my apartment. The base is about 3” across. I assume maybe some type of smoke detector, but I’ve never seen one like this before.”
ferkinatordamn: See this Reddit link: https://www.reddit.com/r/firealarms/s/kp2hMlpw9x
Answer:
iicicl: Solved! Thank you. I had never heard of heat-based smoke detectors, only radioisotope ones.
DaWayItWorks: They do not detect smoke, they detect rapid changes in temperature. The one pictured has two sensing elements:
(1) an air pocket with flexible metal around it that expands when the air temperature rises fast enough, shorting the contacts (rate of rise).
(2) A piece of solder or alloy that melts at a specific temperature, causing two pieces of metal to touch and trigger an alarm. This device does not have an internal sounder or battery; it will trip a circuit on your building’s fire alarm control panel.
25. “Some sort of clamp? Steel, approx. 1.8Kg”
psychowhippet: For joining two scaffolding bars together.
sandman2036: Looks like a variation of this: https://durainternational.com.my/ProductDetail/scaffold-inner-joint-pin/e794aef5-0455-4516-8165-44a571dc9f76
KnowsIittle: I saw an odd pipe clamp. Scaffolding makes perfect sense.