Antique, heavy, metal, has a hinge on top. A: Shutter dogs, it is for keeping window shutters open.
1
I found this thing in the forest. A: This is a stinkhorn egg.
2
I found this in a drawer when clearing out a bunch of old junk. A: This is a holder for a leg of lamb.
3
I found this ring while doing some work in the garden. I cleaned it and saw that it doesn’t look like an ordinary ring. A: This is a mourning ring. The initials belong to the lost loved one.
4
Long list of things that this is NOT - but no idea what it is. A: It's a type of whisk used in South America called a Molinillo. My grandparents have one just like the one you're showing.
5
What is this heavy metal object? Symmetrical, intricate design, probably quite old. A: Tibetan Buddhist ritual sceptre. It’s called a dorje.
6
What is this / when is this from? A: It is a "wheel hoe" also known as a cultivator. They have been in common use for the last hundred years or so.
7
About the size of a ping pong ball, hollow like one too. Found in the woods of western PA. A: Oak apple wasp gall.
8
We found it cleaning my mother-in-law’s house, and we are clueless as to what this is. It seems like it opens, but I can’t figure out how. A: This is a Polaroid SX-70 camera.
9
On the rain downspout in Prague. A: This is an art installation created by the sculptor, David Černý, called Embryo.
10
I found this inside a shoe I haven’t worn in a while. What is it? A: These are Hibiscus or Rose of Sharon seeds.
11
The hole gets smaller when I squeeze it. I found this device in the kitchen at my parents’ house. A: This is a device that is used to strip corn on the cob.
12
My grandmother passed away, and we were going through her memories. She stole this from Paris. A: This as an antique ball used to play pétanque.
13
Found this in my aunt’s treasure collection. It seems like it has something heavy and metal inside. A: This is a special tracker pebble used to measure sea currents. People mark it with a number, bury it in a specific place, and then eventually look for it with a metal detector.
14
I found at a sale. No one there knew anything about its origin. A: It’s likely to be a gris-gris talisman. It’s a Voodoo amulet that is used to protect its owner from evil magic.
15
My neighbors have placed this on their wall facing into our garden. It looks like a mix between a camera and a speaker. A: This is an animal repeller.
16
My friend found this thing on the beach in New York. A: This is a part of a tooth plate of a ray.
17
I found this in a coffeeshop. What is this game? How do you play it? A: This is a board game called Mancala.
18
I found these in an envelope taped to the wall behind the refrigerator in my apartment. I live in South Korea. A: This is a local good luck talisman that helps people to sell their house quicker.
19
Our landlord found this thing in the basement. Heavy metal. Google has no answers. A: This is a very old soldering iron. The end you are holding is the head, and it’s usually made of copper. The other end would normally have a wooden handle.