"Found 14 years ago in a hole in a log on Dallas Road Beach in Victoria, BC, Canada. A mystery that remains unsolved."
A: "It’s an art installment"
"Ditches in a field next to an airport. Didn’t use to be there before."
A: "Before construction, they are required to look for sites of archaeological interest. This is the pattern that they use to search for those. They trench a line and the dots on each side of the trench are the dirt which has been removed"
"I bought this “thing” years ago, but never knew what it was, I just thought it looked cool! The center globe piece spins and is weighted at one end, so even if you give it a spin, it always ends up with the “10” facing up. The numbers are 10-130, in increments of 10. Any ideas would be awesome!"
A: "This is a thermometer. My grandfather had the same exact device. Look at the number where it aligns with the convex (upper) portion of the plane, that should be the approximate temperature in Fahrenheit. I was always told to not spin it because it would mess with its accuracy"
"Switch on the back of an old clock labelled “Miracle Eye”. What is this?"
A: "I think it is a light sensor that can be turned on and off. When on the clock will not make chime noises unless it senses light. This way at night it does not wake people up."
"What are the purpose of the metal plates on the ground in front of some of the water fountains at Universal Studios Orlando?"
A: "Blind people and their walking stick."
"Metal 3-4 inches, with glass balls"
A: "These were how old reflectors were made, like for railroads"
"I found this blue disc in a packet of sour cream crisps. Its has the words “ferrous 25mm BST, cert number 213026B” on it."
A: "It’s a testing chip. It goes through the metal detectors to ensure they’re working. There’s a problem here though. You send X number of testers you get X number back. If you get X-1 or some other number you stop the line until you find your chip. The entire purpose of the test is to make sure that stuff like this–which is supposed to simulate a foreign object–does not get through. There’s usually paperwork to document this. Write to the outfit and tell them what you found and rest assured there will be a s@#tstorm on the other end."
"What are these characters found on the back side of a sign on a woodland trail in Alaska."
A: "It’s Stafir Móti Aðsókn an Icelandic magical sigil/stave to protect against ghosts and evil spirits"
"My college sent me this and i have NO CLUE what its for"
A: "It’s called a germ key"
"Found in forest in sweden, about 1m from ground, roughly 20cm in size. Hard to the touch, but drips liquid when knocked"
A: "Looks like a polypore fungus that is exuding excess moisture, called guttation."
"Chest of drawers with no drawer sides and a hole at the front of the drawer…?"
A: "Looks like an Artist’s Cabinet or Flat File. It’s a set of drawers for storing drawings, architectural plans, etc."
"What is this slack in power lines? What purpose does it serve?"
A: "Former CATV tech here. It’s called an expansion loop. Coaxial cable (for cable tv) is mostly aluminum which expands and contracts with temperature changes moreso than the steel supporting strand to which it is attached. If this expansion loop wasn’t there, the cable would literally suck out of the compression fittings in the Winter and kink in the Summer."
"Found on a beach of Lake Erie. I’ve lived near the lake my whole life and never have seen something like this"
A: "The roof plate of a drum fish"
"Cones of Dunshire found in German Supermarket?"
A: "It’s a so called “Schultüte”. When children have their first day of school, they get it filled by their parents with gifts and sweets"
"My Grandad dug this up? Found in Liverpool, possibly WW2, it was found with the decoration on, what is it??"
A: "Yea ! It’s a thing ! Called trench art , google it there will be tons of beautiful engravings on shells"
"A silver utensil. When you press the button on one end the grips open."
A: "Sugar cube holder. For tea parties with scones. Or coffee and cake."
"Blue glass token found in a field in France, though one of the ships flags kind of looks like a Union Jack. Game piece or history?"
A: "It’s a part of a ring warn by somone important on one of the shipping companies in the 18th century"
"Help identify what these are and what they were used for? Passed down by family – UK."
A: "An apprentice final piece before becoming a journey man engraver."
"Found this washed up on a beach in Massachusetts. It’s wooden and looks handcrafted…maybe a piece of a chair?"
A: "It looks like a Davis Quadrant or Backstaff, a navigational instrument predecessor of the sextant. Maybe you should take that to a museum, with nautical expertise"
"Clock thing numbered 0 through 5 found in Prague, Czech Republic."
A: "Water level indicator – limnigraph"
"Found in a public park/disc golf course. Everything not screened in is removable. What is it for?"
A: "It’s a bee and bug house, it’s filled with different materials for lone bugs to overwinter"
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Where do you call it like that? I only know it as Schultüte.