18 Times People Cracked the Mystery of Their Unusual Findings

If you have ever visited a thrift store, you know you can find many confusing old objects. However, if you dig further, it can turn out that they are very meaningful, rare, and even expensive. Every mystery should have an answer and Reddit users can help find it.

We at Bright Side are always on the lookout for unusual findings and we want to share 18 mysterious things with you that were solved by internet users.

1. What is this in front of this door?

Answer: It is a flood barrier (it floods regularly in that door during heavy rain, there used to be sandbags there).

2. “A mysterious disk-shaped object that has slightly raised iridescent patches on both sides.”

Answer: Pyrite sun disc (called dollars or suns. Pyrite’s chemical classification is sulfide).

3. “I know what it is, but wondering why people put an orange on a stick in the grass next to a road.”

Answer: There is a woman in our city who cheers up the streets with fruits or vegetables. She did the same with bell peppers and Brussel sprouts. In the summer the fruits attract bumblebees which is good for the flowers in the neighborhood.

4. “We usually stick it on our Christmas tree, but I don’t think that’s actually what this is.”

Answer: It’s just a little folding toy thing, not necessarily an ornament. We just used it as a toy.

5. “Parked next to this and was trying to figure it out. A loose loop in the curb.”

Answer: It’s an old hitching ring for a horse.

6. “Plastic and hollow, size of a big SUV, attached to the ground.”

Answer: A large ship bumper/fender. They are used to keep huge ships from smashing into the pier. It must have washed up during a storm.

7. “This looks like a typewriter but the letters are in alphabetical order.”

Answer: It looks like a keyboard panel from a tabletop jukebox selector.

8. “The arms and legs are closed off. There are drawstrings on the tiny waist openings, and Velcro on the small neck opening.”

Answer: Inflatable ironing machine.

9. “Found in a Westin in New England — every room had a second door number near the floor. Why?”

Answer: If there is a fire, the halls will fill with smoke. Smoke rises. To escape, you will need to crawl and there will be visibility at the floor level.

10. “It is a chair looking thing. The white part is a cushion.”

Answer: It is an Ikea Jesper bench for playing video games.

11. “It came in a swag bag for a horse show. It’s about 8 inches long, not sure of its purpose.”

Answer: I’m 90% sure it’s a cable organizer.

12. “What is this thing stuck to my car? It seems to be magnetic.”

Answer: It looks similar to the ones out of magnetic cabinet door latches. There are some stories about being able to open locks with strong magnets. Maybe a couple of kids broke down their mom’s kitchen cabinet and tried to steal your car.

13. “In someone’s front yard in Utah. A few neighbors had them. Holes were drilled into certain squares in the grid.”

Answer: Park City has held many mining and drilling competitions and demonstrations so that checks out. It’s probably a winning slab.

14. “Large hollow ‘eggs’? Most of them are the size of a cantaloupe. They have holes drilled in the top of them with some writing.”

Answer: Ostrich eggs! The holes were made to blow out the yolk and white.

15. “A strange metal container with a lock and a hole.”

Answer: It’s a lock that is used on shipping containers. When the pin is inserted and it’s locked, there is nothing exposed that can be cut.

16. “I found it in my hotel room bed (in England). There are no buttons to press.”

Answer: It looks like an alarm for the deaf. They usually shake the bed.

17. “Collapsible wooden item. I thought it was a chair, but it is definitely not.”

Answer: Looks like a gout stool (a footstool of the 18th century).

18. “An orange plastic thing hanging from a coat hook in a bathroom in an academic library.”

Answer: It’s a deodorizer.

How often do you encounter something mysterious in your life? What interesting things have you found in thrift stores?

Got some cool photos or stories and want to be featured on Bright Side? Send them all right HERE and right now. Meanwhile, we’re waiting!