“I found this piece of glass that changes colors depending on how you look at it. Where could this have come from?”
Answer: “It’s a dichroic glass filter used for color correction in photographic printers.”
“What is this green piece of plastic?”
Answer: “It’s a Banzai Diving Gem. A diving toy for kids.”
“This 1.5-foot by about 3-foot cubby in my friend’s new bedroom”
Answer: “Maybe it’s for a dog kennel.”
“Little razors attached to some sort of handle...found on top of the fridge. My husband has no idea either.”
Answer: “It’s an attachment for a mandolin slicer to make julienne cut veggies. Looks like one of the sides where it clips on broke off.”
“What is (the intended use of) this oddly shaped silver spoon?”
Answer: “A caddy spoon is a short-handled spoon used for measuring the dried tea from the tea caddy where it was stored to the teapot and was most commonly in use from the late 1700s to the mid-Victorian period, although examples continue turning up that date into the early 1900s.”
“A 1950s house has these planks that pull out of the bedroom wardrobe. Any ideas what they’re for?”
Answer: “Definitely looks like the supports on a secretary desk. This one may have had the hinged top removed, or it was a modular desktop.”
“This came with a bike. It’s not on the instructions or parts list. It has a diameter of about 2 inches.”
Answer: “It’s a spoke wrench for adjusting the tension of your wheel spokes. The numbers correspond to the spoke sizes.”
“A Victorian mystery object — blunt and too big for a needle threader”
Answer: “It’s a bodkin for threading ribbon, lacing corsets, etc.”
“An object found in the kitchen of a deceased relative, about 18 inches long. The puck-shaped end is heavy, solid metal.”
Answer: “I’m going to guess it’s a handheld salamander. You heat the ’puck’ and you hold it over the food to brown or melt the surface cheese, like a french onion soup.”
“What is this ice phenomenon I found on the forest floor today?”
Answer: “The term for it is ’frost flower’ and it has to do with moisture freezing as it escapes plant tissue.”
“I noticed a tiny dirt pile, and over a few days, it has constructed itself into a perfect 5 to 6-inch delicate little dirt tower.”
Answer: “Looks like termites. See the nearest wooden structure if there is a similar looking thing.”
“What is this item? All night we’ve been trying to solve this. It slides open and there is a tiny piece of fοam inside.”
Answer: “It’s a key fob for a programmable RFID entry system.”
“A small black box with four LEDs, an aerial, and some sort of terminal”
Answer: “It’s for paranormal stuff... Here’s a video.”
“What is this conical metal thing next to the door? Found in southern England.”
Answer: “It is a device that was used to extinguish torches.”
“What are these lights that appear to be behind the mirror in the hotel I’m staying at?”
Answer: “It’s likely supposed to be an ’infinity mirror’ where you lay a one-way mirror over a standard one and put the LEDs between the layer, giving it a tunnel appearance. The missing side could be a bad strip of LEDs.”
“An old wooden box with wooden planks with silver plates inside, anyone have an idea?”
Answer: “I’m not sure about the wooden planks, but a box like this is quite common. People use it to store different things, but I think it’s mainly made to store bukhoor (incense).”
“These are ceramic cylinders around 6 inches tall. They are glazed on the outside and unglazed on the inside.”
Answer: “I think those are vertical poultry roasters. The idea is to insert them into a whole chicken and bake it standing up. You’d need a baking pan to catch the juices, of course.”
“These thin, toothpick-like objects seem to be made of ivory and are supposedly from the 1900s from China, maybe a game?”
Answer: “They look like a German game, called Spillikin.”
“Six numbered wooden cubes in a very old cardboard box”
Answer: "It’s an old puzzle called Octo-mania."
“I found this odd set of disposable cutlery in my new flat.”
Answer: "They’re clay modeling instruments or cake-decorating tools."
“What are these blue reflective markers for? They’re facing the field.”
Answer: "They reflect cars’ headlights to the fields so that animals avoid crossing the road."
“Found at my house after a 4th of July party. The black part is plastic with a detachable metal cap.”
Answer: "It is the bottom of a handle for (likely) a metal utensil of some sort. I have a set with a spatula, ladle, spoon, ice cream scoop, and pizza cutter that have ALL started to have their bases fall out over time."
“What is this thing? A metallic tool that looks fairly new. I’d like to know what it is used for.”
Answer: "It’s a holder for a sugar cone."
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I think it might be the 95th time I have seen that picture on this site, and yes, old toothbrush :)
Yeah, how could a sponge be used for RFID?
Yeah, Izi, we've been over this before.