19 Mysterious Things Only Internet “Detectives” Could Identify

We may often obtain or find items whose purposes are an enigma. We can’t help but grow curious and want to find out their function. A few decades ago, we’d have to go to the library and investigate, talk to someone who knows about the era, or be left without an answer.

However, these days, there’s an entire network of Internet users that acts as a kind of detective service, uncovering the use of any mysterious object, no matter how tricky it may be. We rounded up some of the biggest revelations of unidentified things here.

1. “Someone gave this to my friend. It’s metal with a plastic round knob/thing coming out of it and a plastic handle. What is this?”

Answer: It’s a 1920s electric massager.

2. “A large chunk of metal, weighs quite a bit in your hand and hasn’t changed in color in decades.”

Answer: It’s a cuneiform tablet available as a souvenir at the Louvre, among other museums.

3. “What is this type of clamp used for? It doesn’t open more than this, and when closed, the holes collide perfectly.”

Answer: That’s a gang lock for Lockout/Tagout. It’s placed on a breaker when many people are working with equipment to keep them safe.

4. “Found while cleaning the couch, no one knows where it came from. It’s metal, but probably not gold.”

Answer: It’s a keychain attachment.

5. “A thumb protector possibly, but for what?”

Answer: It’s an antique butcher’s thumb protector.

6. “What are these blue reflective markers for? They’re facing the field.”

Answer: They reflect cars’ headlights to the fields so that animals avoid crossing the road.

7. “A small plastic pouch with red gel and a metal disc inside”

Answer: It’s a hand warmer. To use it, you can “click” the metal piece, and it will start a chemical reaction and heat the pad. After use, you can put it in boiling water to “recharge” it.

8. “I found this odd set of disposable cutlery in my new flat.”

Answer: They’re clay modeling instruments or cake-decorating tools.

9. “A spiky plastic thing”

Answer: It’s a baby bottle and glass drainer.

10. “I now own these neon rainbow acrylic mystery sticks I found at a secondhand store. Does anyone know what I bought?”

Answer: They’re acrylic support tiles for playing Mahjong.

11. “What’s this device mounted under my office desk?”

Answer: It’s an occupancy sensor; it helps organize work stations at an office.

12. “A small metal trinket found buried on a rural farm — it appears to have an eagle, Flor de Lis, and rope pattern.”

Answer: It’s a Boy Scouts neckerchief slide.

13. “My hotel room bed leg has a red-flashing light coming from a rubber piece.”

Answer: It’s a mesh bed bug detector.

14. “A long tool with a metal dial on the top that you can twist, possibly related to calligraphy”

Answer: It’s a ruling pen for drawing with ink or with other drawing fluids.

15. “6 numbered wooden cubes in a very old cardboard box”

Answer: It’s an old puzzle called Octo-mania.

16. “This was in an estate auction lot. It’s made of wood and has a metal section with the letter A.”

Answer: It’s a tool for softening, making imprints, and cutting leather.

17. “A round, cog-like metallic ’tag’ that came with a hairdressing kit”

Answer: It’s a hair scissors key used for adjusting hair clippers.

18. “A compressible sponge soaked in clear oily odorless substance — I received it at a conference.”

Answer: It’s a shoe polisher.

19. “There’s a guy wearing this ankle thing at a resort in the Caribbean.”

Answer: It’s a mosquito-repellent device.

Did you ever find or receive an object you had no idea how to use? Drop a picture here. Maybe some Internet detectives will help you crack it.