People Solved Mysteries About These Weird Objects From Over 100 Years Ago

Brokella:

Isn’t that a portable men’s urinal for bedbound patients?

What is this thing? My inner child needs to know.
Long story short, I found this in my Christmas stocking when I was 7-8 years old. No one knew where it came from. There would be periods of time throughout my childhood where it would disappear, then reappear months or even years later. It was always a fun childhood mystery to me. I have not seen it since 2013 until today. Part of me wants to keep the magic alive and believe it’s some magical stone with disappearing abilities, but I’ve wanted to know what this thing is for almost 20 years now. It looks like some kind of jewelry pendant, but I’m not sure how it would work. The hole in the third picture doesn’t go all the way through.

phord:

It's a jadeite pendant with a space to hold herbs or sandalwood. The word on the back is "fu", which means "luck". The dragon heads are just common Chinese symbolism, but sometimes there is a bat instead because the word for "bat" sounds like 'luck". If it has bamboo symbolism, it's supposed to be stronger. It's usually strung and attached to your belt and carried for luck.
My Chinese wife, who also claims this is not a well made piece, poor quality sculpting, common in antique markets.
She also warns that Chinese people do not carry old pieces with an unknown history, because they might have belonged to someone who died, and then it was stolen by grave robbers. And then the amulet could bring bad luck.
But if the piece is handed down from their family, someone they know and cared about, it becomes more special to them. They believe it carries a bit of the bearer in it, like part of their soul, from their having carried it for so long.
Wife says it comes back to you because it has become part of you. You should keep it, no matter how much you are offered. Also, you should touch it a lot so it accumulates oil from your skin (your soul). This will make it more beautiful.

Mudslingshot:

Nine dollars for a tongue drum the size of an end table?! I'm an instrument collector, and I've gotten some goooood deals... But wow. I've never gotten a deal that good.

My husband and I went thrift shopping and found this weird sterling silver spoon but we have no idea what it’s used for? Looked up the brand “reed and Barton” and found that it’s an old sterling silver company but couldn’t find a spoon like this anywhere. Anyone know what it is or what it’s used for?

TeeBeeDub:

That! Is a soup spoon for mustachioed gentlemen.

cynikalAhole99:

Precision vintage drafting tools.

Purrsy_Nappington

These are the work of Kawase Hasui.
The one on the left is titled, "Kasuga Shrine in Nara." 1933
The one on the right is, "Snow at Hie Shrine (New Years Day)." 1931.

nitro479:

It's for rolling newspapers into a "log" for the fireplace.

FreedomDragon01:

I would guess it’s a version of the Fiske coffin. These coffins were designed after the advent of major railway transportation and offered airtight coffins. This helped to naturally preserve the body. When people began traveling far from families and then subsequently dying, people needed a way to transport bodies long distances to get them back for the funeral and last goodbyes from living relatives.
The window was put in place for health reasons. Should a person have died while in quarantine or from a deadly disease, the window allowed relatives to see and confirm the body's identity before burial.

batbrat:

It's a Georgian/early Victorian mourning ring. The initials belong to the lost loved one.
They were typically made from gold (18k+) and enameled in black. Yours looks like it was made around the 1820s-40s.

Nanerpus_is_my_Homie:

It’s a powder puff wand for face powder. This is a very nice example! Also called a “patter wand”. The idea was popping/beating the powder on your face has a more finished look than using your hand.

-_-BaDgEr-_- :

Nice find! Magic Lantern glass slide.

It says it's from Germany. It belonged to an antique shop owner who didn't know what it was.

SilverScimitar13:

It's the top of an expandable purse, yours is just missing the actual fabric purse part.

DoctorOfMeat:

They're for crushing chestnuts.

AnnabananaIL:

Olive server, lettuce server, ice tongs. Having a talon on ice tongs is a novelty feature, but there are a lot of them out there!

My father sent a few samples to the Archaeological Survey of India in Agra, as suggested by many, so thank you. Those of you who said they are Terracotta figures, you were correct. They are Portuguese Terracotta figures from the 3rd to 4th century. Though there haven’t been many accounts of such well-preserved Terracottas, they’re not uncommon for the area of Agra, as the Taj Mahal features many Terracotta designs and mouldings. I can’t believe I thought these figurines were nothing of value, and considered throwing them away. Thank you all again for urging me not to throw these away, notifying me about ASI, and warning me about scammers. For now, my family plans on keeping the figures in a safe place.

ImclearlyBatman:

Mortar and pestle. A very old one, too.

Real_Consequence1240:

It’s a bridal cup. Bridal cups are a Nuerenberg, Germany tradition that date back to the 1400's. It represents the start of a life long union between man and woman and is a symbol of faithfulness and good luck.
The small swiveling cup and inverted hollow dress were designed to allow both bride and groom to drink simultaneously to toast their wedding. The groom would drink from the larger cup (the inverted skirt), and bride would drink from the small swivel cup.

sonjaalb:

These are German emergency bills that were issued in times when there wasn't enough money available at the central bank. I believe the ones you have may be made of silk or linen.

SincerelySpicy:

They're called Hydrostatic Bubbles or Spirit Bubbles, among other things, and they're used as hydrometers for testing the alcohol content of liquors.

DaddioHeff:

It is for a large box of matches.