'What Is This Thing' is an incredibly popular subreddit. It has over 1.8 million members, all helping people to identify the objects in their possession they have no knowledge of themselves. I have no doubt that one of the biggest reasons why this online community has gotten so massive is the fact that they constantly deliver.
With a few very rare exceptions, 'What Is This Thing' cracks one tough case after another. Show them a small round "shelf" in an old mailbox, and they will tell you it's for leaving change for the postal worker to add postage. Post a photo of a strange ceramic jar and they'll reply it's a stoneware bed warmer.
#21 Weird Metal Part That Comes In A Matchbox Every Once In A While
Answer: It’s an extension for lighting candles
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268points
#22 What Is This? White Particles On Back Of TV. Found No Where Else In Home, Not Even On Surrounding Furniture/Wall. Cleans Off But Reappears After A Few Weeks.
Answer: fire retardant reacting with the environment. This white powder is not harmful nor is it mold. We have had a few cases and have found it is the fire retardant interacting with the environment. In most instances all that is needed to correct this is a damp cloth, but in the case the white spots do come back we have a tech come out and replace the back cabinet.
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267points
#23 Near Agate, Utah. My Dad And I Came Across This On Google Maps Today But No Search On Google Gave Me An Answer
Answer: These have to be evaporation ponds near some sort of mineral mine.
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265points
#24 My Mother Says This Cast Iron Thing Is For Pouring Oil, But My Grandmother Says She’s Wrong And Can’t Remember What It’s For. Help?
Answer: This thing is used to melt down lead to cast new bullets.
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265points
#25 This Was Found With Old Tools. Doesn't Seem To Attach To Anything. It Can Lock In Place And The Middle Bit Turns Round, Unravelling Two Straps Of Fabric. I'm Stumped!
Answer: It’s for carrying books.
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264points
#26 What Is This Thing: Some Beach Sand In Ecuador Is Magnetic
Answer: Ironsand, also known as iron-sand or iron sand, is a type of sand with heavy concentrations of iron. It is typically dark grey or blackish in colour.
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263points
#27 Found At Antique Shop. Think It Might Be Some Sort Of Food Server. But Really No Idea What This Is!
Answer: bun warmer
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259points
#28 Inherited This Ornate Large... Pendant? Wall Decoration?
Answer: It may be Tibetan. They often wear their wealth on their clothing. This could be an ornament of that sort.
At first I thought the animals on the front looked kind of Chinese, but when I saw the mountains on the back, the style came together as Tibetan.
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254points
#29 Metallic Ring With Central Slider And Numbers Engraved. Details In Comments
Answer: Sundial pendant. In the XVIII century the monks invented in the forests of Prussia, this small and handy, portable sundial, which indicates the time corresponding to the height of the sun.
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250points
#30 Found This Tiny Book With No Cover And Has These Weird Text In It
Answer: Handbook of Royal Arch Masonry, Guide for Chapter Officers
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246points
#31 Small Silver Fob- Nazi Or Navajo
Answer: it is a "Whirling Log Fred Harvey Thunderbird" pendant (Navajo vintage jewellery) I suspect that's a couple hundred dollars at least.
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245points
#32 Why Does This Mailbox Of Letters Around It? Building Was Built In The Early 1900s
Answer: It used to be a combination lock. Now retrofitted with a key lock
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236points
#33 House Built Circa 1950. Left Door Is A Linen Closet. Right Door Is... What? So Deep That It Takes Up Space In A Closet Around The Corner. Door For House Elf? Witt?
Answer: Card table space
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235points
#34 Found While Turning Garden This Spring In The Appalachian Foothills Of East Tennessee. What Is This Thing?
Answer: a knapped flint knife. It's also very strong. Typically it's knapped but your blade looks like it was sharpened on a stone. It's probably a Boy Scout or survival class project.
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231points
#35 These Weird Crystals Growing On My Highlighter?
Answer: it went through varying changes in temperature in the past years and destabilized causing oil to separate and crystallize. Same thing happens in crayons.
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229points
#36 Solid Metal “Kiss” That Was In Our Bag Of Candy Cane Kisses. Is It Part Of The Machinery?
Answer: Definitely not a part of the machine. Since it is the same size and shape, I would say it's a QA "guage" to help operators verify shape and portion size at a glance.
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225points
#37 Found In A Cemetary While Geocaching. The Doll Was Wrapped In The Paper Which Was Wrapped In The Cloth Cross And Bound With Twine. Overall Very Creepy
Answer: it's a voodoo doll
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221points
#39 Purple Packets Found On Rural Property In Victoria, Australia
Answer: Dye powder packets tied to the under side of rams to mark which sheep have been inseminated.
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213points
