“Purchased in Africa, was told something about ancient sailing.”

Answer: “They say it’s an astrolabe. It is one of the most ancient astronomical tools to measure the horizontal angles and find the longitudes and latitudes of celestial bodies.”

“Small dimpled rubber ball that was thrown at a cyclist. Very squishy and about the size of a paintball.”

Answer: “Nerf ball for the Hyper or the Rival.”

“Stretchy metal bracelet with sharp hanging blade. The bit at the end is sharp and moves on the pin.”

Answer: “You put a spool of thread on the bar and put the circle on your wrist, so you can work on needlework or embroidery.”

“I now own these neon rainbow acrylic mystery sticks I found in the Goodwill bins. Anyone know what I bought?”

Answer: “They are colorful mahjong racks.”

“Cast iron shaft in the marsh on my property”

Answer: “It’s the worm and driveshaft out of a 28-29 model AA Ford. Driveshaft and worm likely 6-7 feet long.”

“Light ’fixture’ I noticed at a restaurant. Appears to be some sort of old machinery.”

Answer: “It’s the lift mechanism from a dumb waiter.”

“Found these glass tubes in the attic of my 100 year old home.”

Answer: “Ampules that can be filled with something. They get sealed by melting the glass with a flame.”

“What is the intended purpose of this very thin, glass covered drawer?”

Answer: “It’s a bedside cabinet and it’s to put cups of coffee/ breakfast on, so it doesn’t leave coffee rings/stains on the top.”

“Metal triangle-shaped hand tool with an offset wooden handle. 5 shallow circle indents on the surface.”

Answer: “It’s a Masonic shot glass holder.”

“Spiky plastic thing”

Answer: “Bottle holder for babies bottles. You use it as a drainer after washing them.”

“It looks like a plastic key of some sort, but with a ridge pattern instead of a normal key pattern.”

Answer: “Looks like it could be a ’Zig Zag Waffle Key for Leonardo Versatwin &` Kruger toilet paper dispensers’.””

“Found this at my internship. It is a relatively small, metal plate.”

Answer: “Looks like a Witkar key. Even the design in the flat part looks like the company logo.”

“Found on the beach, it’s solid, and the green casing feels like stone, but is almost a little stretchy when I try to pull at the edges.”

Answer: “Could be a capacitor. Looks like the 2 wires can be seen at the bottom.”

“Weird hollow lens-shaped things stuck together with no pattern. Found on a beach.”

Answer: “For beating the dust out of rugs, I believe.”

“What is this 6-floor tiny tower in the middle of a parking lot, adjacent to a baseball field?”

Answer: “They use that whole area for training of all sorts, including high-speed chase training for cops, as well as a firing range.”

“Old heavy key with ‘GOOD HEALTH’ engraved”

Answer: “It’s obvious. It’s the key to good health. These ’motivational’ knickknacks have been a thing for generations.”

“Found this in my math teacher’s room. 100 squares with varying patterns and colors. No patterns seem to be the same.”

Answer: “It’s a prime factorization chart. Almost the same one, but I see this one is shifted one down.”

“It’s carved wood with wooden rings around it. The rings don’t come off. Found it in a park.”

Answer: “It’s a hot chocolate stirrer/whisk. Known as a molinillo.”

“It looks to be a very small concrete bench or seat facing away from the road near the curb. Too small for a child.”

Answer: “They could be old carriage steps, used to help people get in and out of horse-drawn carriages.”

“A gold sphere with legs and a handle. The sphere splits in 2, each side with a lid.”

Answer: “This is a Victorian folding clamshell biscuit box.”

“This is gate-blocked road access to some cell towers. Why so many locks, and how would someone even open it?”

Answer: “It’s a shared access gate. You can open the gate if you have 1 key that fits one of the locks. It’s necessary when the keys belong to different people or organizations. If someone loses the keys, you can just restore 1 key instead of making new copies for everyone.”

“I found this metal object. No text or numbers. Can retract to be the size of a bracelet.”

Answer: “It’s the top (closure part) of a purse or small handbag.”

“Okay, I know it’s a chair, but what’s with the extended arms?”

Answer: “It looks like a plantation/planter’s chair. You’d put your sore, swollen legs up on the arms after sitting on a horse all day, like a pregnant woman with her legs up in the same fashion. This is why the back is so sloped as well. If you sit up straight, it wouldn’t be comfortable to put your legs up like that, but in a reclined position, it’s good for blood and air flow.”

“Just moved to a new apartment, found this in the living room. What is it?”

Answer: “It’s an antique heater.”

“Found this small kettle years ago. Does anyone have an idea as to why this has this unique shape?”

Answer: “It’s a portable men’s urinal for bed-bound patients.”

“This was found with old tools. It can lock in place and the middle bit turns around, unraveling 2 straps of fabric.”

Answer: “It’s for carrying books.”

“I found this in the garage, a tube with notches made of brass, the rest of the cover on top. It has a copper rod with a wooden handle.”

Answer: “It’s a hair curler.”

“It’s a plaque with numbers inscribed on it. Found on the sidewalk outside a building at my university.”

Answer: “It’s a magic square. It’s a popular sort of decoration to put outside math departments. If you add the numbers horizontally, vertically, and diagonally, it will make 34.”

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“A modern-built penny-farthing I saw parked outside.”

“This treehouse in my neighbors front yard.”

“The restaurant gave me a mini loaf of bread with my takeout”

“A supermarket has a machine for testing the ripeness of avocados.”

“This Rita’s Italian Ice sign claims made with real fruit, while showing blue raspberries, which do not exist.”

“My knocked-over glass of water landed perfectly upside down without spilling.”

“Years ago I saw this mini height indicator at a theme park.”

“My local Walmart has a Frankenduck cleaning the floors.”

“My grandfather has a memo from the founder of Walmart in his office.”

“My collect of recovered weapons working in the federal prison system.”

“This carrot wrapped around another carrot.”

“This electromagnetic machine helps create and repair neurotransmitters in the brain”

“Legos fused to an eraser after being stored in a box together for over a decade.”

“One of my raspberries didn’t form properly this year and the seeds make it look like a tooth-ridden monster blob.”

“I checked 75 bags while flying out from New York’s JFK airport.”

“This house with 18 skylights.”

“This 300g broccoli was actually 888g.”

“A high trust cookie stand has popped up in my neighborhood.”

“My Identical Twins in Different Kindergarten Classes Ate Nearly exact same bites of their lunch.”

“My cat’s medicine came in a bag with an illustration of a cat taking medicine.”

“I found a McDonald’s untouched by time.”

“This bathroom stall in Newark airport has photos of a forest on the walls.”

“Just a woman and her cat buying an axe at Home Depot.”

“I just had my 2nd baby and they were born the same hour and minute as my first.”

“These wasps are enjoying a nice pint!”

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“I Found This Lightbulb In An Attic At Work A Couple Weeks Ago. Turns Out It’s An Aerolux Light Rose. According To Ebay It’s A Vintage Item From The 1940’s”

“Uncovered Victorian Terracotta Tile. Found This Underneath Layers And Layers Of Wood And Linoleum. Such A Pain To Get Here But So Worth It”

“Just Bought A House Built In 1900. The Fireplace Was Boarded Up And Upon Removing The Board This Is What We Found”

“Anyone Have Any Ideas Or Info? Would Love To Find Some History Out Or Maybe How Much This Is Even Worth.”

“Our New-To-Us 1912 Foursquare Has Hundreds Of Old Books In The Attic”

“136 Year Old Note Found On A Shingle When My Parents Renovated Their House”

 “I was discharged from work on this house by McBride the Bulldog for being drunk only once, when he is drunk all the time. Carpenter Smith, Plymouth March 27, 1888”

“Untouched 1800’s Cemetery Preserved In The Basement Of A Tall Building Built Over It”

“Collection Of Reference Seeds Found In My Grandad’s Attic”

“There’s A House In My Attic”

“Found A Hundred And Thirty Year Old Recipe Book While Cleaning Out Grandmas House”

“Clearing Out My Recently Deceased Grandfather’s Attic And Found Just Over 200 Grams Of Gold Powder”

“While Replacing A Wall In My Basement, I Found A 100-Year-Old Marriage Certificate”

“Found In The Yard Of My Old House (Agra, India)”

“I Found Some Coins In A House I Recently Bought In Alexandria, Egypt”

“Is 54 Years Soon Enough? (Found At A Friend’s House, Taped To The Inside Of A Heating Duct Grill)”

“I Found This Old Lightbulb In My Grandparents’ House Finished In 1902 And It Still Works”

“Found A Massive Linoleum Floor Cloth”

“These “Tom And Jerry” Type Mouse Holes Gnawed In A House Built In 1741″

“In My Grandparents’ Basement I Found A World Atlas From 125 Years Ago”

“Renovating A 100 Year Old House, Found What Looks Like A Samurai Sword Under A Section Of The House That Had A Dirt Floor”

“The Sheath Is Metal On The Outside And Wood Inside. Still Sharp And Heavy.”

“Contractors Working In Our Basement Found A Package Of Letters Hidden In The Floorboards From The 1920s”

“This Vintage Space Themed Wallpaper Found Under 3 Layers Of Other Wallpaper In An Old Farm House”

“This Bottle Of Elvis Presley “Love Me Tender” Conditioning Shampoo From 1985 I Found In My Attic”

“Tunnel In Basement Of Pennsylvania Rowhouse”

“Just Bought A House. Moved In 2 Days Ago And Found This In The Basement. Now What?”

“Found This Surprise In Our Front Hallway”

“I want to restore but its so much work…. Glass is mostly broken or missing. Outside is covered over with steel siding. Half of me wants to cover it back up and pretend I saw nothing. House was built in 1880. What should I do?”

“Found These In The Basement Of Our New Home”

“We just got the keys to our 1912 home this weekend and found these tucked away in the basement. Any idea what era these could be from?! They are very heavy.”

“Went In The Attic Of A House We Were Looking At Aannd”

“Found This Tobacco Tin Under The Floorboards Of Our 1800s Apartment Building Renovation. Neat Find”

“A Little Sewing Needle Booklet I Found In My Neighbor’s Basement”

“I Found A Bag Phone In My Dads Basement”

“Found In The Attic Of The House I Just Moved Into. Work Was Different In 1978”

“This Old 7up Can I Found In The Attic Of My New House”

“Check Out This Cool Crystal I Found In The Basement Of A House That I Just Bought”

“My 1921 House Never Ceases To Surprise Me. I Found This Painting While Finally Cleaning Out The Attic To Re-Insulate It”

“Party-Goers Signatures From The 1940s In The Basement Of My Century Y/O Home”

“Bare Footprint Appears When Mopping Floors In Our New House”

“While Tearing Up Their Carpet, My In-Laws Found A Giant Monopoly Board”

“I Found An Amazon Box From 1997 In My Basement”

“First Prize String Beans From September 1945 Found In My 102 Year Old Patient’s Basement”

“I Found A Newspaper In The Crawlspace Of Our New House Today, Dated October 2, 1902”

“I Found An Old Clothes Hanger Between The Floor Boards Of My Attic. It’s So Old The Company’s Phone Number Is 4 Digits”

“Found This Old Ouija Board In The Attic Of My 100+ Year Old House”

“Door In The Basement Of A House We Bought”

“I Should Never Have Opened The Attic”

“Found This In Our Back Yard While Planting A Tree”

“Looks Like Someone Was Locked In The Basement Of The House We Just Bought”

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