10 strange objects whose purpose is not so easy to guess (14 photos)

Continuing our traditional column.





1. An unusual device from the past. It's either a compass or a microscope, with a level on the side.



This is a dipleidoscope—an astronomical instrument that produces two images of the sun and is used to tell time. It was invented in the 19th century and used in astronomy and geodesy to accurately determine local solar time, from which longitude was calculated and clocks were checked.

2. A hollow metal ball with holes





This is a holder for incense sticks.

3. Something like glasses you can't drink from.



These are holders for decorative painted eggs.

4. A tool of unknown purpose. Found in a music store.



A guitar string wrench. It can be used to adjust tuning pegs, cut strings, and remove string pegs.



5. Antique box with holes of various shapes inside



Knife chest.

6. Silicone things that can be attached to rings



These are silicone shoelaces that don't need to be tied every time.



7. Made of metal, one side is movable.



This is a typesetting stand. A metal plate used by typographers when setting type; metal letters were inserted into it.



8. A board with metal plates found in a bar



A board for playing the popular English bar game Shove ha'penny. Players take turns picking up five coins and pushing them with their finger along a smooth wooden board. The goal is to get the coin to stop exactly between two horizontal lines on the board without touching them. Each such "perfect stop" counts as a point. Metal plates are needed to make the zoning more clearly defined and avoid potential disputes.

9. An elongated structure with mirrors at the entrance to the road



This is a road periscope. A device that is installed at the entrance to a garage or a narrow road if the view is blocked by a wall, bushes, or a fence.

Essentially, it's a long vertical tube with mirrors (like a regular periscope), only designed for cars. You sit in your car at the gate and through this periscope you can see if anyone is driving down the street.

They were used in America and England in the 1960s and 1970s, when garages were often built right next to the curb, making it difficult to get out. Now they've almost disappeared, replaced by cameras and mirrors.

10. Set of metal plates of varying thicknesses



This is a feeler gauge, a set of thin metal plates of varying thicknesses. They are used to measure gaps between parts.