“What is this? I found it years ago at a thrift store and thought it was cute, but it doesn’t seem to actually have a purpose.”
Answer: “I think it’s a garden ornament. It looks like the base could be submerged beneath the soil to give it a crystal mushroom look.”
“Found in a handbag. It’s made of metal and both balls are glued fast. The bar moves. The 4 ends are not rounded, just clipped.”
Answer: “Ladies used to use these small whisks to degas carbonated drinks. I guess burping is not ladylike.”
“A small vintage ceramic container with a cork — I believe it’s from the 1940s.”
Answer: “It’s a soy sauce container, also called Hyo-chan. It could be a good collector’s item!”
“What is this small metal dish with an egg-shaped container and a miniature salami being cut?”
Answer: “That’s an old ’senftopf’ (German mustard pot).”
“Found this buried in the closet of a commercial kitchen. It’s about 6 inches in diameter.”
Answer: “It’s a hamburger press. Here’s an identical one.”
“A wooden machine that features dials that are numbered, but a few are labeled ’parlor,’ ’ladies entrance,’ and ’bathroom.’”
Answer: “It’s a servants’ bell call indicator, similar one here. It’s used to show servants where the call for service has come from.”
“I’ve had this thing for years but nobody knows what it is. 3.5 inches high, silver-plated, thin material. Shaped like a crown.”
Answer: “This is a spoon holder that sits on the edge of a bowl.”
“It collapses into 3 pieces. There’s a screw on the bottom attached to some kind of bit, which can spin.”
Answer: “This is likely a pepper mill without the knob to turn it. It’s like the original Greek Pepper Mill, only this one is missing the stand and the hand crank.”
“What is this glass object? It’s fairly heavy, has no markings, and has a very narrow hole on top.”
Answer: “It’s an oil candle.”
“A leather thing that has a strap that wraps around the back of your hand”
Answer: “It’s a kind of self-defense tool.”
“What are these wooden structures that look half-built and are randomly scattered across a field on a Swiss plateau?”
Answer: “These are hay bins. Here’s the modern version.”
“A metallic pencil with a hard wick and a battery inside”
Answer: “Google image results lead to one of these being sold as an electric nail file.”
“Can anyone tell me what the mirror underneath the lid of my trash can is for?”
Answer: “It may be a holder for a carbon odor filter. What you are seeing is not a mirror, but the backside of the brushed stainless steel exterior of the trash can.”
“The first one has no markings, with a red velvet interior. The second one has some thread on the inside of the eyepiece.”
Answer: “It’s Odd Fellows hoodwink mask blinders initiation ceremonial goggles.”
“A clear plastic thing that hinges like scissors”
Answer: “It’s a clip for the cord on blinds.”
“What is this weird, large barrel-looking thing hanging on a wire at a local park?”
Answer: “It is for a fire hose competition. They move the barrel back and forth with fire hoses.”
“Made of glass and threaded like a screw — it has 2 anchor-like points that jut out, and the top has an indent.”
Answer: “It looks like a neon light support.”
“An enclosed, copper gazebo type thing on a residential property, the house was built in 1929.”
Answer: "It’s a cupola. When old buildings are torn down, people buy these and repurpose them."
“These pipes filled with cement were every 500 m along our hiking path.”
Answer: "I wrote to the tourism office, and they told me that these are foundations for small religious monuments. Since there is a small chapel on top of the mountain, this path is also a pilgrims’ path. The small figures are usually along the way to signal pilgrims where to go. They were there, but they removed them to be cleaned over the winter and also to put new sockets to put them on."
“A clown thing — it’s made of glass and is open on the bottom end. The inside is hollow.”
Answer: "It’s a Christmas tree topper."
“What is this space near the stairs? It is open to the floor above and does not appear to have a functional purpose.”
Answer: "Maybe a planter was there at some point? We had one like this in a house I lived in"
“An old folding desk in my professor’s office”
Answer: "Sewing machine desk"
“This small plastic ball was found dislodged in my ear.”
Answer: "Airsoft ball"
“A strange ’bench’ with tubing near the parking lot of an old elementary school”
Answer: "This is legit playground equipment from the ’70s-’80s. You lay on your back and slide through by pulling on the bars."
“It’s about 1.5 m and has metal at the tip.”
Answer: "Dragons’ teeth"
“What are these pliers used for?”
Answer: "Wire crimpers"
“A ceramic cup with various holes in the lid”
Answer: "Potpourri holder"
“A yellow/amber glass face found by a lake”
Answer: "Seems there’s a lot of amber art deco stuff that could be close to the same style."
“Large brown wooden clamps, the big ones are about 4 inches and the smaller ones are about 2 inches.”
Answer: "They’re shopsmith bar clamps. They’re used for making large surfaces for tables and such."
“We thought it might be a pearl. It’s lighter than a rock but heavier than plastic. You can’t dent or break it with your hands.”
Ansswer: "That looks like a burning bean! If you rub it back and forth really fast on your pants and then touch your skin with the bean, is it hot?? (It gets hot with friction). They grow near beaches or in salty areas fairly easily."
“A small blue circle with silver circles, came in a green and yellow silky pouch.”
Answer: "It’s woo woo magic."
“Weird glazed earthware with a handle”
Answer: "It’s a French onion soup bowl."
“A very thin reel from 1959, unknown size”
Answer: "Looks like 8 mm to me. They didn’t have sound."
“Weird triple outlet on the floor of my office? Located in America. Too wide for a regular plug.”
Answer: "It will be a proprietary power outlet for a desk power distribution system built into the desks. It uses a special socket because it’s likely that the power is filtered for computer equipment, and you don’t want the janitor plugging a vacuum cleaner into it."
“Found this behind a commercial freezer while doing renovations. Plastic casing, plastic looking balls, metal shroud, about 1.5 inches in length.”
Answer: "Pretty sure this is a scent/pheromone capsule for a moth glue trap."
“On the Bed in my Hotel. Doesn’t Open or Anything.”
Answer: "This piece is a nod at Ned Kelly’s helmet, where the slit in the first picture is where the eyes would be. It’s been reimagined as a "playful leather and faux fur fascinator."
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You can read more about them here:
www.usconcealedcarry.com/blog/the-leather-sap-old-school-but-is-it-legal/
I've always heard them called blackjacks
Same
You mean back when they could indescriminantly cause internal bleeding and cuncussions and pretend nothing happened?
#8 is a Turkish coffee grinder. I have one exactly like this one that I got in Turkey in 1972.
Hmmm... I thought a cosh was more like a nightstick.....
When i was small i used to grind coffee on it every time i visit my grandparents. Those 2 that i have now are from them.