“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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