I have always enjoyed the mystique surrounding antiques. There's something enthralling about an object that has stood the test of time. It's not just a product. It has a story. A personality. And if you're also captivated by them, then look no further, for we bring you a subreddit that celebrates the wonders of bygone eras.
Welcome to r/WhatIsThisThing, a thriving community of 2.3 million internet detectives who gather to identify whatever things people submit to them.
Established in 2010, r/WhatIsThisThing has become a true gem on the platform, ranking in the top 1% based on its impressive size. From intricate Victorian-era trinkets to beautifully crafted Art Nouveau relics, let's take a look at some of the gorgeous stuff it has seen.
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#21 Found At An Antique Market In Wisconsin USA. About 6" Across The Top, The Hole Is About 3.5". Tiny Spittoon?!
Answer: Child’s potty, a chamber pot.
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#22 What Is This Red Leather Devil Figure, Found In A Wooden Box In An Attic?
Answer: It’s called a Jenny Haniver. They’re dried skates or rays modified to look like monsters.
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#23 Found In A Garden Back In 1959, Still Haven't Been Able To Identify What It Is
Answer: It's a broche or pin featuring Napoleon.
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#24 What Is This Thing? Hanging Over Sink In A House Built In The Late 1800s
Answer: It’s a holder for a glass. There used to be small cylindrical glasses that everyone had near their sinks to grab a sip of water. Which was an improvement from drinking out of a wooden cup from a bucket or a ladle. Those claw holders are often in housekeeping sinks in the area where the maids worked, or by the grooms' area. Everyone used the same cup/glass.
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#25 Found This In An Old Crumbled House, But I Have No Clue As To What It May Be! It's From A Company Called « Rally »... Help Me On This Mission!!!
Answer: The device is being described as a "razor hone", i.e., something for sharpening single-edge razor blades
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#26 Carved Piece Purchased From An Antique Shop In Poland. What Is It And What Could It Be Carved Out Of?
Answer: Rib bone from a whale. In the 2nd pic, you can see the soft marrow tissue inside, you wouldn’t find that inside of a tusk.
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#27 Found These Glass Goggles In The Wall Of Our 100 Year Old Home
Answer: old safety goggles with the strap missing. Possibly for brazing work on the plumbing
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#28 My Grandpa Dug Up This Roman Cameo Looking Thing In His Garden In Northern Italy 12 Or So Years Ago, Any Idea What It Could Be? More Info In Comments
Answer: It looks exactly like the souvenir intaglios that Victorians collected on their European Grand Tours. They were very very popular and usually kept in a set and framed.
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#29 A Fish Like Object Found In A River
Answer: Gobeunok or Gogok are comma-shaped or curved beads and jewels.
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#30 Found In The Woods Near The Water’s Edge At My Home In Maryland On The Chesapeake Bay, The Site Of A Shipyard From 1750-1800. The Property Has Documented History Back To 1650’s. It Has Raised Decorative Images On Both Sides And Is Made Of Metal. 1 Image Also Shows A 1906 Indian Head Penny For Scale
Answer: It's a smallsword guard
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#31 I Was Given This. I Have No Idea What It Is. Metal Square Box
Answer: Portable ashtray
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#32 Strange Object From Tiffany's Mysteriously Given To My Wife By Her Grandmother While Refusing To Say What It Was. Probably Bought In The 1930s Or 1940s. About 10cm/4" Long. All She'd Say Was "She Used It As A Young Woman But Didn't Have Much Use For It Nowadays". Any Ideas?
Answer: Tree Branch Muddler
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