r/whatisthisthing • • Mar 23 '26

Announcement The r/TraceAnObject subreddit exists to identify objects to help solve child abuse cases. New cases from Europol were posted recently. Please see if you can help.

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174 Upvotes

r/whatisthisthing • • 1d ago

Open What is this stretchy piece of plastic that smells like soap?

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190 Upvotes

It looks like a torn piece of pink gum, pre chewed. It is about the same size as a US quarter. This pink thing can be stretched, but it goes back right away. It isn't like putty because it pops back to the original shape. The surface is smooth and seems to be some kind of soft plastic.

Also, it smells like soap, and looks like it was torn from something. Found it in my foyer, and worriedy dog ate the rest. Very concerned!

Thanks, y'all are the best!

Edit: These SUCH good guesses. I appreciate you all for taking the time to comment. No answer yet but I'm confident we will get there!


r/whatisthisthing • • 1d ago

Solved! Wooden object with three magnifying glasses that folds, maybe a photo slide viewer?

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577 Upvotes

Found at my uncles house who is a massive camera collector. Has slides available but we have no idea how they work together, if at all.


r/whatisthisthing • • 1d ago

cast iron bracket 3 1/2 inch inner diameter

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48 Upvotes

found at a yard sale full of old stuff like this. thinking it's possibly a tractor part to hold a filter or something. Has a 8801 foundry part number stamp on the bottom and a few spots with red paint remnants


r/whatisthisthing • • 2d ago

Solved! Small, beige, plastic box on top of a lamp post

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267 Upvotes

It is a bit bigger than a credit card. This is on a lamp post at a college that has recently implemented various surveillance technologies and we are wondering if this may be one of them.


r/whatisthisthing • • 2d ago

Solved! Sliding metal tray in bathroom closet

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88 Upvotes

My wife and I just bought a new home. Our small bathroom closet has a sliding metal tray in it that I am totally stumped on why it’s in there. Any ideas or experience with this? We just plan on putting towels and washcloths in here


r/whatisthisthing • • 2d ago

Solved! Telescoping galvanized steel pole sections in a hinged wooden case, found in an old building. What is it?

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372 Upvotes

Four thin-walled galvanized steel tube sections in a hinged wooden case lined with carpet. Each section is 3" outside diameter and 4 ft long, with rows of holes spaced 4" apart. All four snap together end to end into one long pole using spring-loaded pins, and the overlap is adjustable. Joints have some play at full extension and tighten up when overlapped deeper. No markings found so far. Reverse image search turned up nothing useful.

Photos show the full case, the assembled pole, the pin and hole detail, and the inside of a tube end.

Is this a tent or canopy pole, flagpole, antenna mast, or something else?


r/whatisthisthing • • 22h ago

Solved ! What is this little stitched silk spot on hotel floor towel? It’s just a standard hotel towel that goes in front of the shower but has a weird little silk thing stitched into one corner.

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0 Upvotes

The little silk area is completely stitched into and does not feel like it has anything inside the little area.


r/whatisthisthing • • 2d ago

Solved! What is this solid white square directly above my shower & next to the ceiling exhaust fan? (Plz let it be harmless)

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47 Upvotes

The last photo I messed with the contrast and stuff to help see it in different lighting.


r/whatisthisthing • • 3d ago

Solved! Leather accessory with brass details, ~12” across, hand-crafted, mid-1960s

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401 Upvotes

This hand-crafted leather accessory was found together with a similarly-crafted leather messenger bag, in the personal effects of the man who made it. It did see some use (the strap where the buckle meets it is worn), unlike the bag it was next to.

The piece weighs about 10 ounces. The main leather patch is just under 12” across. If you lay the buckled piece out in a circle, it’s just big enough to be a belt (about 16” across). The buckle is brass, as are the little lozenge-shaped decorations.


r/whatisthisthing • • 2d ago

Solved ! Plastic thing on hallway wall, eye level, approx 3.5x1.5"

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54 Upvotes

r/whatisthisthing • • 3d ago

Solved Metal table/seat looking thing. Found amongst very old (late 1800s-mid 1900s) machinery. About waist height to an average adult. Victoria, Australia.

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172 Upvotes

r/whatisthisthing • • 1d ago

Open Three tall, slim, top-heavy white, green and red objects standing side by side on an office desk, 1981 or older

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0 Upvotes

Hi all, I'm trying to identify the three objects in the attached photo. They're tall and slim, in white, green and red, standing upright side by side on an office desk at the front of a black box. Each one is top-heavy and tapers toward the bottom. They look like separate free-standing pieces. Estimated height: 2.5 to 3.5 inches. They're made prior to 1981. Sorry about the blur, it's the clearest image I have (screenshot from a grainy 1982 movie some of you may have heard of: Blade Runner).

What are they, who made them, and what country might they come from? Thanks!


r/whatisthisthing • • 3d ago

Solved! Seen on a weather station in Phoenix, AZ. Two opposed 3 pronged sensors on a boom. Some kind of lightning detector?

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942 Upvotes

Title describes it, I could identify most sensors on the station but I can’t figure out what this would measure


r/whatisthisthing • • 3d ago

Solved Odd metal object found with photography equipment - milled aluminum, about one lb, when the top part rotates it also rotates the silver gear on the side. Looks like a mount of some kind but I don't see a recognizable mount point on the bottom. No markings

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48 Upvotes

r/whatisthisthing • • 4d ago

Solved ! Metal bar with black squares above the kitchen's door. Occasionally displays number(s)

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1.9k Upvotes

For context this is in an apartment in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. It looks like it's indicating the current floor an elevator would be located in, but there is obviously no elevator (nor trash chute) in the kitchen. The number 4 has now changed to another black square. I have not noticed if it has displayed other things, but the 4 was there for a handfull of days.


r/whatisthisthing • • 4d ago

Solved 6cm white hard plastic decagon-shaped cap with two-screw mount arm from kitchen, printed with "Made in Australia"

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56 Upvotes

r/whatisthisthing • • 5d ago

Likely Solved ! Small two piece pink depression glass nesting objects

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3.1k Upvotes

What is this small two-piece pink glass object with fitted circular rims and narrow openings?
This is approximately 1.5 inches long and appears to be pink Depression glass. Both pieces have a molded flower design, beaded edges, and a flared tab at one end.
The circular rim on one piece is slightly smaller than the other, allowing them to fit together with the flower designs facing outward. The rims have notches that leave narrow openings into the hollow center when assembled. An opening would barely accommodate a chopstick.
I haven’t noticed any maker’s marks. Photos show the pieces separately and fitted together. Does anyone recognize what this was used for?


r/whatisthisthing • • 4d ago

Open Rubber or silicon cylinder that is hollow and closed off on one end, about an inch long

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5 Upvotes

r/whatisthisthing • • 4d ago

Likely Solved! Black plastic attachment piece with a magnet at the end; found on the carpet under a cat crinkle toy

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27 Upvotes

I have no idea what it belongs to. I do not own any furniture utilizing magnets. I vacuumed last night and did not see this at the time. I found it when I got home from work and wanted to switch out the toy my cat's toy wand. Previously, it had a fabric fish with fabric streamers. I found the object under a 48inch long fabric crinkle snake attachment just on the carpet.

The ruler measurement will be off because of the magnet being affected by the metal bits.


r/whatisthisthing • • 4d ago

Solved! 1-inch Copper (?) Cylindrical.. thing. Slightly heavy, found on my bedroom floor after cleaning/rearranging. Hollow and I can see through it. The little cylinders on the sides also look like they have threads and screw onto something. Help!

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24 Upvotes

r/whatisthisthing • • 5d ago

Solved! White metal wheel, six inches in diameter, with a six-inch stem that has two holes for bolts

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174 Upvotes

This has been in our closet forever, and none of us know or remember how it got there or what it's for. It might have been left here when we moved in.


r/whatisthisthing • • 5d ago

Solved! Small grey metal thingy found on car floor under clutch, brake, and gas pedals in a 2013 skoda citigo. Measurements in cm. Approximately 1,7 cm long and 0,9 cm wide

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156 Upvotes

I found this small metal piece on the driver side floor of my car (2013 skoda citigo similar to a vw up) I fear it is from the clutch pedal but can't figure out where it came from. Could also have been stuck under my boots and gotten loose in the car.


r/whatisthisthing • • 6d ago

Solved! small brass object, less than 1/2", the four holes go all the way through, small protrusion does not move or spin, found on apartment floor while vacuuming

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758 Upvotes

r/whatisthisthing • • 5d ago

Solved! 9-inch tube with a captive brass piston, a spring running the interior length of the tube, and a stud on the other end with two flats.

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147 Upvotes

I got this item as part of a lot of firearm parts and gunsmithing tools at an estate sale. The owner was a machinist and also a gunsmith. He had barrels for shotguns, M1903A3s, an M1 Garand, a Ruger 10/22, and a Colt M11911A1. He was also a reloader. The tube is exactly 9 inches long; the small diameter is approx. 9/16" and the flared ends are about 11/16". The internal diameter of the brass cup is just under 7/16". I cannot find any manufacturer stamps or proof marks. The holes go all the way through. The piston/plunger is spring-loaded with a spring that travels the length of the tube. The spring tension is weak. The "rear" stud is about 1 1/16" and has two flats on the tip. Please, what is this thing?