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.
#21 Found Metal Detecting Outside Of An Old Church
Answer: It looks like a Ferrotype photograph. They started being used in the 1850s's.
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199points
#22 Found At Antique Festival Near Atlanta, Is 17" By 5.5"
Answer: It's for rolling newspapers into a "log" for the fireplace
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196points
#23 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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195points
#24 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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187points
#25 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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175points
#26 Driftwood With Metal Plaque Found On The Mississippi River Bank
Answer: Looks like a piece from a bedhead. I think the sheath of wheat is a xtian symbol about reaping what you sow and of death and renewal. Something along those lines. Wheat has been used on double (marital) beds for centuries, including the bedhead and upright posts. They're also used on chairs in a literal or a stylised way and represent prosperity in relation to the 'reap what you sow' type of symbolism.
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167points
#27 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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164points
#28 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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160points
#29 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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158points
#30 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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157points
#31 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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157points
#32 A Fish Like Object Found In A River
Answer: Gobeunok or Gogok are comma-shaped or curved beads and jewels.
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150points
#33 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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141points
#34 I Was Given This. I Have No Idea What It Is. Metal Square Box
Answer: Portable ashtray
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123points
#35 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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117points
