“Unusual white plastic kitchen utensil with a handle”
Answer: “Looks like it would be used to stir the contents in a blender. It inserts in the top to stir it.”
“No markings. Wooden handle that is surprisingly comfortable. The steel ball-like end is fixed and doesn’t roll or move.”
Answer: “It’s a leather shaping tool used in saddle-making. A friend of mine makes Western horse saddles, and his ’old’ tools look just like this.”
“Heavy glass ornament. At least 3 kg. One part is removable. 13 cm high. It’s transparent and red glass.”
Answer: “From the looks of the red part, it’s probably a fancy votive candleholder, and the top part is meant to snuff the candle out when you’re done.”
“2 pieces of hard chalk-like material (still scratchable with iron nail). 4 inches long and 1.4 inch wide, weight about 100 gr.”
Answer: “They look like bread or something.”
“What could this be? It’s made of wood and contains a wheel full of sharp spikes. I’m thinking a grinder, but what could it grind?”
Answer: “A cheese grater”
“A housewarming gift. It’s half wood, half marble, 2 semi-circle dips, mini spoon.”
Answer: “It’s a salt & pepper ’pinch pot.’”
“Carved piece purchased from an antique shop in Poland. What is it and what could it be carved out of?”
Answer: “Rib bone from a whale”
“Huge rusty old oven surrounded by clay pipe, in the middle of nowhere Northern Sweden.”
Answer: “Probably an old kiln”
“Found this bag with liquid in my hotel room. Does anyone know what it is?”
Answer: “It absorbs moisture to keep clothes dry in storage.”
“Found at a beach house in Clearwater, FL. Numbered stake with a floater on top.”
Answer: “A bobber to mark the location of a crab or lobster trap”
“Found this at work today, left by the overnight employee. It’s solid all around. No openings at all. Hollow glass, gold trim on one end.”
Answer: “Glass syringe plunger. We have them at work.”
“Brass tool, generational mystery, 3-4 inches long, maybe related to sailing.”
Answer: “It’s an Ottoman scale/balance.”
“Brass plate from Australia”
Answer: “It’s a vintage brass 1930s pixie offering dish for rings, pins, coins, etc. You leave offerings for the little people, so they treat you nice.”
“Around 1 m high, made of glass, probably originated from a refinery or a power plant before the ’90s.”
Answer: “Mercury Arc Rectifier”
“Round segmented object found at a beach in South Africa”
Answer: “Maybe some kind of washed-up anemone.”
“What is this object? Found in my grandparents’ house.”
Answer: “Looks like a gourd that’s been decorated, if it’s not a musical instrument (is it filled with beads?), it’s probably purely for decoration.”