Strange objects people asked to identify

'What are the little cups beside this bar sink?', 'Small metal thing found while gardening, quite heavy, 2411 on the end.', 'Found in laundry. Clear sparkly bean-like thing stained my clothes pink.', 'Weird stools found at the curb in an old industrial area.', 'Lead STA-TITE with rubber band, about 4oz.'

Users post all kinds of fascinating and bizarre objects on the subreddit r/whatisthisthing. From random things found in forests to stuff dug up in backyards, the identities of these mysterious items were quickly cracked by fellow Redditors, who were ready with the right answers. 

Which of these took you by surprise?

Stories have been edited for length and clarity. 

'Teeny tiny flask. May be a 100 years old, and smells like cloves inside.'

'What are the little cups beside this bar sink?', 'Small metal thing found while gardening, quite heavy, 2411 on the end.', 'Found in laundry. Clear sparkly bean-like thing stained my clothes pink.', 'Weird stools found at the curb in an old industrial area.', 'Lead STA-TITE with rubber band, about 4oz.'

Answer from u/WippitGuud:

Perfume pendant. Used to have something to smell when you come across unsavory scents. Back in the 19th century a lot of chamber pots were just emptied into the streets. This gives you something to raise to your nose when you get a whiff of them.

'What are the little cups beside this bar sink?'

'What are the little cups beside this bar sink?', 'Small metal thing found while gardening, quite heavy, 2411 on the end.', 'Found in laundry. Clear sparkly bean-like thing stained my clothes pink.', 'Weird stools found at the curb in an old industrial area.', 'Lead STA-TITE with rubber band, about 4oz.'

Answer from u/CoppertopTX:

I worked for a gentleman back in the 1970s who had one of these sinks in his wet bar. The brass inserts to the right hold little glass dishes for drink garnishes. One of my numerous duties was ensuring they contained olives, onions, and lemon rinds for martinis at the weekly poker game.

'Small metal thing found while gardening, quite heavy, 2411 on the end.'

'What are the little cups beside this bar sink?', 'Small metal thing found while gardening, quite heavy, 2411 on the end.', 'Found in laundry. Clear sparkly bean-like thing stained my clothes pink.', 'Weird stools found at the curb in an old industrial area.', 'Lead STA-TITE with rubber band, about 4oz.'

Answer from u/uid_0:

It's part of a chimney cleaning rod. Someone posted a better picture here.

'Stained glass effect triangular stand with metal soldered edges and twisted wire hooks.'

'What are the little cups beside this bar sink?', 'Small metal thing found while gardening, quite heavy, 2411 on the end.', 'Found in laundry. Clear sparkly bean-like thing stained my clothes pink.', 'Weird stools found at the curb in an old industrial area.', 'Lead STA-TITE with rubber band, about 4oz.'

Answer from u/Corvidae5:

I do stained glass, so I know this one. It's a stand for an oil wand kaleidoscope. One with spots for extra colored wands. You tilt them, and the sparkles float past the mirrors.

'Large stone monument or obelisk with Latin writing and images carved into it. Found in a forest clearing in Somerset, England. About 2 meters high.'

'What are the little cups beside this bar sink?', 'Small metal thing found while gardening, quite heavy, 2411 on the end.', 'Found in laundry. Clear sparkly bean-like thing stained my clothes pink.', 'Weird stools found at the curb in an old industrial area.', 'Lead STA-TITE with rubber band, about 4oz.'

Answer from u/lvm__:

It's a shrine to the spirits of the dead or a grave. DM found, as I understand, on both sides of this obelisk, stand for ‘Dis Manibus’ - to the Manes. 

Answer from u/Tricky_Extreme5862:

[It's Mother Shipton's stone] from the late 18th or early 19th century.

'Large yellow plastic/glass fiber spiral found on the south coast of Norway. It's about 1.5m in diameter and 6m long.'

'What are the little cups beside this bar sink?', 'Small metal thing found while gardening, quite heavy, 2411 on the end.', 'Found in laundry. Clear sparkly bean-like thing stained my clothes pink.', 'Weird stools found at the curb in an old industrial area.', 'Lead STA-TITE with rubber band, about 4oz.'

Answer from u/Winterheart89:

I think it is an Archimedes' screw, also because of the connector flange. But maybe one to generate power instead of pumping. Therefore, the steeper gradient.

Answer from u/nonhinged:

It's an Archimedes' screw. This one is from some Flumill tidal power project.

'What is this orange round thing in my garage? It's thin and plastic with a handle on top.'

'What are the little cups beside this bar sink?', 'Small metal thing found while gardening, quite heavy, 2411 on the end.', 'Found in laundry. Clear sparkly bean-like thing stained my clothes pink.', 'Weird stools found at the curb in an old industrial area.', 'Lead STA-TITE with rubber band, about 4oz.'

Answer from u/brock_lee:

I think it was an old cord spool someone mounted to the wall, and which broke in half. Something like this.

'These came into our charity shop and we don't know what they are. They are colorless glass, and weigh maybe a couple hundred grams.'

'What are the little cups beside this bar sink?', 'Small metal thing found while gardening, quite heavy, 2411 on the end.', 'Found in laundry. Clear sparkly bean-like thing stained my clothes pink.', 'Weird stools found at the curb in an old industrial area.', 'Lead STA-TITE with rubber band, about 4oz.'

Answer from u/ReverendDizzle:

They appear to be Venetian wedding goblets. They are not intended for liquids, obviously, but instead would hold bouquets or glass ornaments. They could be something else, for sure. And Venetian wedding goblets often have more glass and less open space (so more lattice-like and less wide open). But hopefully this info will point you in the right direction. 

Answer from u/Blcksheep89:

They are the base for candle holders. They are missing the glass chimney part where the candle is supposed to go. The middle part is for the chimneys to 'click' in and secure them.

'What are these things under the sink in my bathroom and kitchen? Plastic piece with a button.'

'What are the little cups beside this bar sink?', 'Small metal thing found while gardening, quite heavy, 2411 on the end.', 'Found in laundry. Clear sparkly bean-like thing stained my clothes pink.', 'Weird stools found at the curb in an old industrial area.', 'Lead STA-TITE with rubber band, about 4oz.'

Answer from u/jimberly718:

Maybe it's some type of alert so if an older person falls and can't get up, they can notify someone else in the house. They can open the cabinet from the floor and reach it. My in-laws have my wife's 91-year-old grandmother living with them. They have these buttons located near the floor by her bed and in the bathroom that, when pressed, make an alert similar to a doorbell so they know if she has fallen.

'Found in laundry. Clear sparkly bean-like thing stained my clothes pink.'

'What are the little cups beside this bar sink?', 'Small metal thing found while gardening, quite heavy, 2411 on the end.', 'Found in laundry. Clear sparkly bean-like thing stained my clothes pink.', 'Weird stools found at the curb in an old industrial area.', 'Lead STA-TITE with rubber band, about 4oz.'

Answer from u/PM_ME_YR_KITTEN:

I think it’s a clear lipstick that changes color when applied. I have one that looks just like that.

'Rusted metal tubes sticking out of the ground. About the size of a microwave, found in the middle of the forest beside a stream on the North Shore of Lake Superior.'

'What are the little cups beside this bar sink?', 'Small metal thing found while gardening, quite heavy, 2411 on the end.', 'Found in laundry. Clear sparkly bean-like thing stained my clothes pink.', 'Weird stools found at the curb in an old industrial area.', 'Lead STA-TITE with rubber band, about 4oz.'

Answer from u/bulldog5253:

It’s a Pentair 1 1/2 hp water pump and motor to be exact. Also, not that old that design would have been in the last 20 years.

'Weird stools found at the curb in an old industrial area.'

'What are the little cups beside this bar sink?', 'Small metal thing found while gardening, quite heavy, 2411 on the end.', 'Found in laundry. Clear sparkly bean-like thing stained my clothes pink.', 'Weird stools found at the curb in an old industrial area.', 'Lead STA-TITE with rubber band, about 4oz.'

Answer from u/Great_Sleep_802:

I think you have the base of two chairs that have been stacked together. They are missing the seats and backs, which is possibly why they were left at the curb. You have to scroll down a bit to see them in this link.

'Hollow plastic pink/black ball buried in the ground, about 3in across. Seems to have condensation inside and is connected to a thin black rod leading deeper into the ground.'

'What are the little cups beside this bar sink?', 'Small metal thing found while gardening, quite heavy, 2411 on the end.', 'Found in laundry. Clear sparkly bean-like thing stained my clothes pink.', 'Weird stools found at the curb in an old industrial area.', 'Lead STA-TITE with rubber band, about 4oz.'

Answer from u/ImHereForTheKills:

A Skip-it, a children’s toy.

'Found this thing standing on the sidewalk outside my work. About a foot tall.'

'What are the little cups beside this bar sink?', 'Small metal thing found while gardening, quite heavy, 2411 on the end.', 'Found in laundry. Clear sparkly bean-like thing stained my clothes pink.', 'Weird stools found at the curb in an old industrial area.', 'Lead STA-TITE with rubber band, about 4oz.'

Answer from u/cyclika:

Looks a lot like a hat or wig stand. Why it's haunting you, I can't say. 

Answer from u/International_Lynx78: 

I swear it's got to be a vanity/make-up mirror. I live in a little southern Alberta border town that has a few little pioneer museums in a couple of the small towns around me. I swear I have seen this, and it does have a mirror in it. I will definitely try and get into one of these little museums and take a picture.

'Found these in my kitchen. They're about 4 inches long, made of silicone, and loop around into a small circle and fasten.'

'What are the little cups beside this bar sink?', 'Small metal thing found while gardening, quite heavy, 2411 on the end.', 'Found in laundry. Clear sparkly bean-like thing stained my clothes pink.', 'Weird stools found at the curb in an old industrial area.', 'Lead STA-TITE with rubber band, about 4oz.'

Answer from u/Trucountry:

These are silicone no-tie shoelaces.

'Lead STA-TITE with rubber band, about 4oz.'

'What are the little cups beside this bar sink?', 'Small metal thing found while gardening, quite heavy, 2411 on the end.', 'Found in laundry. Clear sparkly bean-like thing stained my clothes pink.', 'Weird stools found at the curb in an old industrial area.', 'Lead STA-TITE with rubber band, about 4oz.'

Answer from u/n0ize:

I thought for sure that it was a joke. The word snath is unique enough to work. ‘A snath is the wooden shaft, or handle, of a scythe to which the long, curved blade is attached. The snath provides the user with handles to grip, allowing them to stand upright and swing the blade horizontally at ground level to cut grass, weeds, or other vegetation.’ And of course there's a 30-minute video essay about them.

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