“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.”

Source

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“Fish Mascot Has More Layers Than It Seems”

“A Ship Shipping Ship Shipping Shipping Ships”

“Today My Boyfriend Accidentally Broke The Ear Off Of His Dog Statue, Which He’s Had For Twelve Years, And Discovered Another Smaller Dog Inside… I Have So Many Questions”

“How Are They Already On The Textbook If They Are Posing For It”

“Japanese Mascot Kumamon Putting His Face Through His Own Cutout”

“This Candle Which Makes A New Candle From Its Melted Wax”

“This Ducks Beak Looks Like A Duck”

“Found This Hammer In The Airbnb I’m Staying In. I Was Intrigued To Discover It Rattled. Then I Discovered The Extra Health Bars!”

“Though This Place Was Closing But It Was Just Entering Phase 2”

“This Second Window Created By Ice”

“Bottle Of Rum Within A Bottle Of Vodka”

“The Room Before The Final Boss Where The Game Lets You Stock Up”

“Pulling Up The The Flooring In My Porch To Reveal More Flooring”

“My Headphones With An Adapter Actually Already Had The Correct Piece Screwed Under The End”

“This Car That Has A Smaller Car Inside It”

Source

The post 29 Strange Finds That Feel Like A Mini Mystery appeared first on Barnorama.

Someone sold a tank for 107k on Bring a Trailer.

This house waiting on a new basement.

Found five four leaf clovers in one yard due to crazy amounts of nutrients in soil.

Emergency response alarms for things other than fires.

The lab where I conduct mechanical engineering experiments.

A jacket I inherited from my dad still has the twin towers in its logo.

My hotel painted furniture on the wall instead of putting actual furniture there.

My local Wendy’s started using a scale to make sure everything is in the bag.

They handed out challenge coins for Deepwater Horizon aid and clean up efforts.

Surfboard rack on new public transport in Perth, Australia.

In Romania/Bulgaria they sell beer in 3 liter plastic bottles.

Ca’ d’Zan, home to John Ringling of Ringling Circus.

Glass negative of a man with his brand new Triumph motorcycle, circa 1900s.

This small bookstore has an “Erotica & Math” section

Life cycle of strawberries

40oz water I got while working in New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina.

Cut a hole in my gate for my dog.

This is the green birdflower, native to Australia, and its flowers are shaped like humming birds.

Pizza King restaurants have a phone at every table to order your food, instead of a server taking your order.

I’m working in a building that has records over 200 years old.

My local store sells guacamole kits.

My accommodation for the next 2 weeks on a UK oil rig.

Laser used to mark no overtake’ zone.

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“Dr squatch deodorant air gapped”

“My city has recently been filling small potholes with tiles like”

“I’m missing a line on my finger”

“I found an enclosed, gated, personal reserved parking spot in this parking garage.”

“My step dad has kept the same piece of Parmesan cheese for over 10 years”

“Somehow this snail reached my bed”

“My town defaulted on our only free public charger’s electricity bill”

“This bite mark at my gym’s fly machine”

“My salt rock deodorant after five years of almost daily usage vs a new one.”

“These stairs lead to nowhere.”

“The random couple who crashed my sister’s wedding left a card with $11.54 inside”

“A plant sprouted out of my loofah.”

“$250,000 Porsche 911 GT3RS with a student driver sticker”

“$250,000 Porsche 911 GT3RS with a student driver sticker”

“This smart rental store in my friend’s building”

“Legal voting age is 18, but you have to be born before 2000 to use this ballot paper.”

“Grocery store gift card section has a warning against people getting scammed”

“The difference in wear on the toilet doors in the pool club.”

“This table has a suspicious extra appendage”

“My grandma gifted me a shaving kit with free music downloads that expired in 2005”

The post 20 Finds That Appeared Out of Nowhere and Blew Minds appeared first on Barnorama.

“When The Lid Is Opened On This Victorian Gold Charm, A Little Demon With Sparkling Rhinestone Eyes Pops Out. These (Frankly Adorable) Devil Totems Were Worn As Symbols Of Temperance — A Reminder To Resist The Sinful Temptation Of Drinking Alcohol”

“These Are A Very Rare Set Of 16th Century Italian Notation Knives. Each Side Has Musical Notes And Lyrics Engraved On The Steel Blade, Which Are Meant To Be Sung As Grace Before And After A Meal”

“A Woman Of Many Disguises! This Is An Example Of An Unusual Fad From The Mid-1600s: Miniature Oil Portraits That Came With Clear Slices Of Mica Painted With Different Costumes”

“Black Cat Paper Fan Made In Germany In The 1920s. I Know This Was Intended As A Novelty Halloween Accessory, But I Can Think Of At Least Six Of My Regular Outfits That Would Go Perfectly With A Pissed-Off Cat”

“Gilt-Bronze Bat Chandelier Made Around 1910 By Swedish Lamp Company Böhlmarks. My Favourite Detail Is The Pendant Lights That Are Enclosed By Little Furled Bats Hanging Upside Down”

“About 4500 Years Ago, Ancient Egyptian Parents Put This Homemade Ball In Their Child’s Grave As A Toy For The Kid To Play With In The Afterlife”

“Gold Spider Earrings, 300 Bc To 100 Bc, From The Bactrian Region In Modern Day Afghanistan”

“Don’t Fear The Reaper, But Do Fear Poor Oral Hygiene.⁣⁣ ⁣⁣ Fancy Memento Mori Toothpick, In The Shape Of A Skull With An Arm Holding A Sickle”

“An Antique Bear Automaton Whose Fur Was Destroyed By An Infestation Of Moths”

“The Shoe That Marie Antoinette Lost When She Tripped Going Up The Steps To The Guillotine On The Morning Of Her Execution, 16 October 1793”

“Morgue Chocolates, Made From Molds Of Wounds Found On Bodies In A New York Morgue”

“Ghoulish Gold Earrings Depicting The Severed Heads Of Marie Antoinette And King Louis Xvi Were Sold As Souvenirs During Their Execution By Guillotine In 1793”

“Silvered Glass Bottle Said To Contain The Spirit Of A Witch Inside. It Was Collected In 1915 From An Old Lady Living Near Hove, Sussex, Who Sternly Warned That If You Opened The Wax Seal There Would Be A “Peck O’trouble””

“A 15th Century Painting Of St Bartholomew Wearing His Own Flayed Skin As A Robe After Being Skinned Alive And Honestly He Is Totally Pulling Off The Look”

“Shoe Doll That Belonged To A Child In The Slums Of London In The Early 20th Century. It Is Handmade From Fabric Scraps And The Heel Of A Man’s Delapidated Shoe, With Hair Made From An Old Black Sock”

“A Tiny Devil Vitrified In A Prism Of Glass. In The 18th Century, The Imperial Treasury Of Vienna Attested That This Was A Real Demon Which Had Been Trapped In Glass During An Exorcism In Germany A Century Earlier”

“A Posthumous Portrait Of A Child Holding A Lizard, Which Sheds Its Skin And Regrows Its Tail — A Symbol Of Resurrection, Rebirth Or Regeneration”

“Screaming Baby Dolls Made From Bisque Porcelain By German Dollmaker Kestner Around 1920. ⁣⁣ ⁣⁣ This Doll Gives Me Such A Visceral Stress Response. Honestly, I Don’t Understand Who Would Ever Want Such A Thing Unless It Shoots Birth Control Pills Out Of Its Mouth At You Like A Pez Dispenser”

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“This lady stealing my mother-in-law’s lemons seems a little otherworldly.”

“Unnerving art project.”

“Tilberi, a creature from Icelandic folklore created by witches to steal milk from cows and ewes to make butter, made from a stolen rib wrapped in wool. From the Icelandic museum of witchcraft.”

“Grok AI randomly started spamming “I’m not a robot. I’m a human being”

“Tiny hand popping out of the ground. Okay it’s dead man’s finger fungi but still kind of creepy”

An abandoned stroller in a park.

“Found this in my new place, where I’ve only been for 3 months. Guess what my name is..”

The post 20 Strange And Spooky Finds To Freak You Out appeared first on Barnorama.

“I found this in the trash. Any ideas?”

Answer: “It’s a laser-cut ’perpetual’ calendar.”

“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 small brass container on a stick (that opens)? It says Windsor Castle on it and it’s about palm-sized.”

Answer: “It’s a miniature bed warmer.”

“It’s a little bigger than an AA battery and weighs about the same. It has a tiny pinhole on the top and a combination of numbers 5 to 9.”

Answer: “It’s a needle case with little compartments inside. The top doesn’t come off — the numbers indicate the size of the needles, which you take in and out through the little hole.”

“Found four of these capsules filled with what appears to be metal shavings?”

Answer: “It’s a pill for ruminant animals. It helps kill parasites, the big one being barber pole worms.”

“What is this tiny saucepan thing my husband inherited? It has a removable thing with holes around the edges.”

Answer: “It’s a single egg poacher. You put water in the bottom and an egg on top. It essentially poaches the egg.”

“What is this silver tweezy thing with triangle notches?”

Answer: “For holding paper/documents together.”

“The previous owner of the house left it in the garage. It’s a curved wooden slatted thing that pivots in the middle.”

Answer: “You’ll see 2 slots in the steel bar on the bottom — a length of wire goes in there to hold it open at the right width, then a glass panel rests on the top to form the tabletop.”

“Found in a library/art exchange. Appears to be a decorative copper dustpan.”

Answer: “For sweeping up crumbs off a table. Some call that style a ’silent butler.’”

“Wooden box found at a thrift store. The area behind each keyhole is drilled out, but they don’t connect behind the metal plate.”

Answer: “This is apparently a manual dexterity evaluation test used in neuropsych to evaluate fine motor skills. The random keyholes are intentional to require different approaches to inserting the key and rotating it. There would have been 25 little metal keys stored in the wooden bowl part of the thing.”

“Is this a kitchen item?”

Answer: “It’s a pen holder for your desk and was probably sold at a cheap goods shop in Japan.”

“What’s this unusual small silver box with a wing on a chain inside?”

Answer: “It’s a purse hook. You hang it off of the table so your purse doesn’t touch the floor. The company that made this one is called Arbon and it’s from mid-century.”

“This building was found in a country estate in Scotland. It’s about the size of a large shed and has small slits and platforms on the outside.”

Answer: “It’s a ’Slovenian beehouse.’ It allows for multiple complete hives where the bees live, which I suppose is less like a hotel and more like condominiums.”

“What is this ring my Uber driver would randomly click?”

Answer: “It’s a digital counter used to keep track of prayers.”

“What is this thing? Chalk-like consistency, clear unmarked tube, tastes like lime. Banana for scale.”

Answer: “Styptic stick. Stops a bleeder if you knick yourself shaving.”

“A ceramic ‘jar’ that I found behind the couch of a furnished rental I’m staying in this weekend.”

Answer: “It’s an old ceramic hot water bottle. If the seal is still good, it will hold a full standard kettle worth of water. Stick it on the floor with a blanket tucked around it and around your feet, and it’s the best feeling.”

“I was helping my boss move desks and I found this thing. No screens, markings, or ports, just the switch on the side. It vibrates when switched on. My coworker and I are at a loss.”

Answer: “This drops into a soft side neck or back massager. Turn it on, drop into fabric holder, and place the holder around the neck.”

“I found this black, comb-like plastic thing in my car. It’s just over an inch long. I have no idea where it comes from, or what it is.”

Answer: “It’s a surfboard wax comb. It usually comes attached to the inside back pocket of board shorts on a little tether.”

“I just noticed this strange X shaped thing on my roof. I have no idea what it’s made of. It has some sort of a hinge or a clasp in the middle. Any ideas?”

Answer: “It’s a part of someone’s rooftop antenna. It’s likely that it blew off from somewhere during a storm.”

“I came across this linen bag full of small wooden ovals printed with images of different animals and a compass.”

Answer: “They’re runes. I know with tarot or divination cards, there are many “non-traditional” divination cards that have a similar process to tarot. They’ll be angel cards, or mermaid cards etc., and they have their own unique methodology outside a common comparative like tarot. They are sold in a paper and plastic case with a window to show the runes and a booklet telling the “meaning”. They’re really common in chain bookstores or new age stores.

“I found this at my local thrift store. It is plastic. When closed, it is 15 inches tall. When fully open, the ‘claw’ has a space of 11 inches.”

Answer: “It’s a kitchen utensil: turkey or roast lifter.”

“This angry faced plastic lady I found is about the height and width of a pop can. It is able to come apart in three pieces. What is it?”

Answer: “This is an “Angry Mama”. It is used for cleaning microwaves. Take her hair off and fill the first line with vinegar, then water. She’s microwaved for a few minutes, and the steam that is released through her head holes help loosen dried on crud inside of the microwave.”

“This thing I found is made of leather and it’s about 15 inches in length. Any ideas?”

Answer: “It’s just a decorative tassel from a purse.”

“I was clearing out things today, and I found this. Not sure what it is. Wondering if anyone can help me out.”

Answer: “It’s the sticky thing in a mortar and pestle.”

“I found this small sterling silver ring. It is attached to a hammered bowl.”

Answer: “It’s a caretaker’s feeding spoon. It looks a bit large for a baby, but would be a good size for helping feed an elderly or bedridden person.”

“I found this rigid pink tube at my Airbnb. It displays 3 holes on the bottom. It has some kind of a whitish residue. It’s mostly cylindrical, but has a flat side with numbers to measure something.”

Answer: “The tube comes with another part so that you can suction-mount it to the side of your bathtub, and you’ll have a bath toy for your kid. There’s also a ring that comes with the set, and it fits under the flared edge of the tube so that your kid can poor water in with a cup. The latter also comes with the set.

The numbers measure nothing, they are just here, so the kid can practice counting. The hole in the bottom allows water to drain out back into the bathtub.”

Source

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