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Mayukh Saha
Mayukh Saha
February 20, 2024 ·  8 min read

25 Mysterious Objects That People Needed The Internet’s Help to Identify

People are always hesitant about mysterious objects. There is always a chance that the object could be dangerous and potentially fatal. But, in order to satisfy their curiosity, they have asked people on Reddit if the item in their household is safe to use, or if one should call Area 51 to check it out.

Mysterious Objects That People Have Discovered

1. Old Junk Left For Dead

According to u/1NegativePerson, “Explosives can be “live” decades after being abandoned in even the least hospitable places. Always, always, always treat suspected explosives (and ammunition) as live.

2. Something Baggy, Something Black, Something Insidious?

u/DRHOY explained, “The bone that has fallen from the bag appears to be a 2nd or 3rd thoracic rib. You have sufficient reason to assume that the bag may contain human remains. You have an obligation to notify the police. It’s time to bring closure to a family and to free up space on a milk carton. The rib bone I compared it to was from a 5-year-old, and my image was not to scale. The bone [on] the bottom right that is next to and parallel [to] the edge of the leaf could easily be an acromion.

You should consider that the bones (and particularly the skull) of infants may not be typically humanoid to your perception. If you care to attempt to ascertain whether this COULD NOT BE a human skeleton (because at this point, there is reasonable suspicion that it IS), then the teeth in the skull would offer concrete information. I don’t think that you should touch the bag, as it may offer forensic information.

3. If Not Friendly, Then Why Friend Shaped?

u/ms_boogie responded, “Definitely a bat!! Their little wings aren’t like dragon wings, they’re not so thick that they can’t be tucked in underneath them like this, AND bats do have the ability to hang off of brick walls like this, I see it all the time. As I stated in another comment, bats have special toe tendons that kind of lock in place while they’re roosting, and it takes no energy to hang in place, unlike monkeys where a grip needs to be held. It only takes energy to disengage!

4. They Look Like Insect Eggs Inside A Vintage Dress- Are They Really?

u/johnnydecameron solved this myth, “Corn. Traditionally sewn into the wedding dress for good luck and fertility!

5. Passport and Teeth- A Traveler’s Essentials

u/Angharadis responded, “My theory: Someone for some weird reason brought a bag of teeth to work and set it on their desk. While processing the passport to mail back, they accidentally scooped up their weird bag of teeth and sent it, too. They spent the rest of the day wondering where the hell the teeth got to.

6. Music Etched On A Gravestone

u/gefloible mentioned an article, and stated, “Along the sides of her Carrara marble gravestone are motifs from two of her favorite operas: the Holy Grail from Parsifal and the swan from Lohengrin.

7. Two Ladies And A Red Mysterious Object

u/loquacious_avenger remarked, “One of the young women confides in her friend, who is holding an atypical object, very rarely depicted, and which is at the center of an expression in the French language: a lark mirror. This object, a sort of spinning top encrusted with shards of mirror, was used to deceive birds; by turning in the sun, this object seen from the sky creates a glittering effect comparable to the water that larks seek.

8. Mysterious Light Switch Near the Basement Door

My girlfriend’s house has this panel next to the basement door that lights up whenever the basement light is on. Why?
by u/pippiethehippie in whatisthisthing

Guess it was there to inform people when the basement light was on. Splendid design, to be fair.

9. Peppa Pig Turns Golden

What is this thing? Small gold pig container with removable tiny spoon for a tail
by u/merlee13 in whatisthisthing

It is just a tiny salt cellar- or a salt pig if you will. 

10. Banana Cabinet

staying at an Airbnb and we have this little metal tray embedded in the counter top. it’s about an inch deep (banana for scale), cannot be removed, and has a drawer underneath.
by u/GBinAZ in whatisthisthing

The scale was relocated- and so a banana was born.

11. Underground Wall At Dog’s Grave

Burying our dog in the backyard who passed today at 16 and came across this underground wall
by u/Key_Guidance9806 in whatisthisthing

Not a wall, as it was later surmised- but a drywell which protected the yard from flooding. 

12. Wooden Alcove That Doesn’t Fit In With The House

u/MTGKat replied, “The raised wooden dais and the mock support/surrounds combined with what looks to be a clergyman’s confession cabinet all lead me to believe this was very likely to be an old, influential, and wealthy American family’s private chapel. 1850-1880s is when these were most popular. Although it appears to be a split-level basement (half below tarmac half above ground), it’s likely that this was only sunk 50-80 cm below what the original street level was when it was built.

13. Is That A Harry Potter Wand That Is Also A Hook?

Art nouveau style hook made of silver
by u/_erik_reddit_ in whatisthisthing

Not really- just a boot button hook that was used to tie ladies’ boots.

14. Weird Grave Markings

strange graves in a village graveyard in northwest iran. so i have seen these graves since i was a kid but never understood what the marking meant. they don’t look like christian or muslim graves and no one in the village knows their origin. if someone knows anything, i would appreciate the help
by u/ap2094 in whatisthisthing

Interestingly, the grave markings inform us about the occupation of the deceased. 

15. T-Shirts Hung Over Car Mirrors

WITT – Two card parked on a street, both seem to have t-shirts (or some sort of material) over their wing mirrors, but just on the side facing the road.
by u/J_Thompson82 in whatisthisthing

If you don’t want birds to use your mirrors as their personal washroom, you should try them as well. 

Read: People Are Asking For Help To Identify Strange Objects They Found & The Answers Are Truly Surprising

16. Is That Log Burnt?

What is this oddly burned log I found at a campsite?
by u/LavastormSW in whatisthisthing

u/Raumpfleger responded, “In German it’s called a “Finnish torch”. You saw two cross shaped cuts into the log and stuff them with twigs then light them up. Works kind of like a giant candle.

17. A Brass Torture Device?

No- it is a gigot, which is used to grab a lamb leg when it is carved. Actually, it is a butcher’s dream.

18. Weird-Looking Swiss Building

The building is built atop a tunnel. The weird shape is due to ventilation, and exit services during emergency situations. 

19. That’s Not Tea, Is It?

Image Credits: Reddit | Boocey_Booce

No, it is just a bag of plastic pellets, and the receiver has just fallen prey to a pretty light scam.

20. Circular Brass Objects That Look Pretty- But What’s The Use?

Interestingly, they were used as a counterweight for chandeliers. In the world of LED displays, that should seem prehistoric.

21. What Is That Maroonish Monstrosity?

Looks like a hex bug. You plug a battery in and it starts wiggling around. If you have a cat, this seems like a nice toy for them. 

As it turns out, it is a prism that is used in finding 90-degree angles. 

23. NASA Keeps Dropping Its Things

Quite possibly junk that was once in a spaceship, but more likely a part of an aquatic or terrestrial instrument. Could be an important part of history.

24. Dangling Pendant On A Power Line

If you don’t want birds to get electrocuted on a power line, attach these pendants. They reflect and move, and prevent birds from perching or flying into the lines. 

25. Stone Slabs With Markings

Probably put up by a surveyor who wanted to mark property corners. Simple, routine stuff without the Internet. 

So, are there any mysterious objects that you have found in your household? Write to us in the comments below!

Keep Reading: People Ask For Help Identifying Weird Objects, And The Answers Are Surprising (And A Little Creepy)

Sources

  1. 50 Times People Had No Clue What They Were Looking At, But The Internet Had Their Back (New Pics).” Bored Panda. Ieva Gailiūtė and Indrė Lukošiūtė. 2022.
  2. 35 Mysterious Objects People Needed The Internet’s Help To Identify.” Diply. Ryan Ford. September 14, 2021.
  3. For the identification of mysterious objects.” Reddit