We surround ourselves with amazing inventions, but every now and then, we come across some objects that are so strange that, without context, there is no way of knowing their purpose or how they work. Fortunately, we live in the age of the internet, and these mysterious objects no longer remain enigmas for long. Moreover, there are always users who are willing to help solve this mystery.

1. “Found at the bottom of a lake in North Maine. Weighs about 2 lbs, apparently stone”

• “That is a stone axe head. A forked wooden handle would have slotted into the groove and then been lashed into place.” © discardedlife1845 / Reddit

2. “Glazed ceramic object shaped like a lounging white cat, about 8 inches long and 5 inches tall, found in a thrift store in Washington state”

• “My first guess would be a roll of toilet paper holder. Put a roll of toilet paper in it, and it looks like a cat with a fat belly.” © Forrest_Fire01 / Reddit

3. “Some sort of vintage lounge of cocktail chair with a hole in the seat that reveals some kind of motor or device, and there’s a cord that you can plug into a wall… Neighbors put it out.”

• “It’s a steamer. ’Pelvic steaming, it is a treatment that involves sitting over a basin of hot, herbal-infused steam to warm the pelvis.’” © Coomacheek / reddit

4. “What is this? I found it on my wall this morning. Looks pinkish, a bit like foam, and it’s around 3 in long.”

• “It’s feces. Reptile or amphibian. I’ve worked in animal care for a long time.” © obviousdscretion / Reddit

5. “A massive wrench I inherited. Weighs 30+ lbs. Novelty or functional?”

• “Yup, it’s for real. Big bolts require big wrenches. Anchor bolts, large towers…” © TheAndyPat / Reddit

6. “Small blue square with spikes on both sides. Fell from the sky and landed on the porch in front of us”

• “It’s probably a shelf from a doll set or other small piece of plastic that broke off, and a bird found it and dropped it near you.” © Unknown Author / Reddit

7. “Silver-colored metal object found partially buried in the yard”

• “Tie-out for animals. Used them while we were building our dog pen fence years ago, works like a charm.” © Site64 / Reddit

8. “Found this in a house I moved into; the block in the lower half is some type of metal. Clamshell case flocked in red.”

• “Handwarmer for sure. I had one of these and it was really cool. Got super hot, though.” © Over_Preparation_219 / Reddit

9. “A box of heavy metal chunks. It was at the bottom of a deceased hoarder’s basement.”

• “Likely a bunch of small lead ingots that were intended to be melted down to make homemade fishing weights, etc. There’s no real danger to having elemental lead unless you plan on putting it in your mouth or handling it a bunch and stirring up a lot of small particles. If it is lead, you’ll find there’s quite a market out there for people who do the things I listed above, especially clean lead like you appear to have.” © feric51 / Reddit

10. “Found this small, palm-sized, metallic rod-like thing digging around the house. Can’t even begin to identify what to Google.”

• “It’s a film prop.” © Mael_Coluim_III / Reddit

11. “Heavy metal mace type thing roughly two feet long found cleaning out a hoarder’s house”

• “Looks like someone’s fantasy weapon reproduction/cosplay.” © jackrats / Reddit

12. “Saw this metal door on a mountain in Tyrol, Austria. It is attached to a thick plastic well, has a vent on top of it, and I can hear air rushing behind it fairly loudly.”

• “Most likely a well or water collecting facility leading to housing or infrastructure. There is plenty of drinking-quality water available. Wells can be public or private.” © Mymindisdirtybutfun / Reddit

13. “Small heavy thing found in the sand in Dakar, Senegal, with the Shell logo”

• “Maybe it’s an adhesive wheel weight. Could it have come from one of the race vehicles?”
  © Whisker____Biscuits / Reddit

14. “Metal cylinder in the wall of an 1800s house with a little lever and flap”

• “Definitely an old speaking tube. If your house is two stories tall, it would have most likely come out by the front door. So if a visitor came by and no one answered a knock, they could pull the flap up and blow into it, and it would whistle to hopefully get someone’s attention. Then drop the flaps and be able to talk to each other without having to go downstairs.” © Jbwood / Reddit

15. “Heavy metal object with unknown purpose”

• “Is it possible that there isn’t any specific purpose? It might just be a fancy paperweight. Designers love their ’look pretty’ products.” © fuzzypurpledragon / Reddit

16. “Broken metal spoon, with rat/mouse drinking from it”

• “A salt spoon. My grandma uses them instead of shakers, and they’re about this size.” © WildPlant2570 / Reddit

17. “A small metallic ball found in my high schooler’s jacket pocket. It has a waxy-ish white piece stuck inside”

• “That is beyond a doubt a broken brass-headed percussion mallet for bells/glockenspiel. The waxy part is the fiberglass handle of what’s called a ’two-step’ mallet, where the handle is fiberglass with a rubber coating on the end.” © ImWrong_OnTheNet / Reddit

Google may be smart, but some mysterious objects are tricky even for its algorithms. Join this fun journey to uncover 13 hidden secrets. Do you have an object at home that you don’t know exactly what it’s for, but you still keep it?