15 Objects That Even collectors were stumped (25 photos)
Have you ever found a strange piece of metal in the attic or in your grandmother's chest that no one you knew could explain? "Is it... well, like a handle?" even seasoned collectors shrugged. 
In fact, this happens more often than you might imagine with vintage, and even modern, items. A strange appearance, an unknown function, and no inscription. Neither dictionaries, nor image search, nor forums yielded an answer. I had to call in the heavy artillery in the form of an online community of retro-junk experts (in the good sense of the word). And they didn't disappoint. See for yourself how much interesting, practical, and poetic can be hidden under a layer of dust and the patina of antiquity.
1. Glass saucer-shaped stand 
Antique pressed glass candy bowl. 
2. A green wheel, reminiscent of a roulette wheel, with indentations for balls, found at a flea market. 
This is a machine for dispensing green stamps. S&H Green Stamps were a popular American loyalty program in the mid-20th century (peaking in the 1960s), in which shoppers earned stamps at supermarkets and gas stations for purchases. Shoppers pasted these stamps into albums to exchange for catalog items, such as household items and toys. 
3. Copper stand with holes from an antique shop 
Vintage Danish candlestick. 
4. A wooden wheel with a metal insert, reminiscent of an old roulette wheel, approximately 90 centimeters in diameter, bought at a garage sale. 
A wheel from an old "Wheel of Fortune," a type of lottery machine common at fairgrounds, amusement parks, and circuses.
5. A brass contraption approximately 18 centimeters long and weighing about 8 kilograms 
This is the counterweight of an antique oil chandelier, used to lower or raise the lamp and its light source.
6. A rusty, obviously old metal box with a closed door and torn cables, found on an old bowling green. 
It looks like an antique cast-iron mailbox from the late 19th or early 20th century. However, the presence of wires confirms that it is a "Lucy box" – an electrical distribution box known as a Lucy Box. It was used to distribute electricity from the grid to various buildings during the Victorian era. 
7. A metal object resembling a stand 
A fountain pen holder. The inkwell was located on the bottom, and there were pens on the side. 
8. A mysterious wooden cylinder, approximately 15 centimeters long and 8 centimeters in diameter, was found in an old house. 
Vintage balance board roller.
9. Small gray plastic clip with a hex nut 
Bookmark.
10. A small rubber man with a perforated bottom, found in the kitchen 
Tea container. Filled with tea leaves and attached to the rim of a cup.
11. These things were found in toothbrush holders in a hotel bathroom 
An unstraightened shower cap.
12. Ceramic unit with a cup that swings on a two-pronged handle 
This is a piston. More precisely, a ceramic model of a piston. Ceramics classes in specialized schools require the creation of similar objects. They can be anything from a box of chicken nuggets to a bowl of ramen to a video game console, the Stanley Cup, and even a toothbrush.
13. Strange objects found near railroad tracks 
A welded mass of steel shavings and molten metal left over from a rail grinder. It is a byproduct of the rail grinding process, which is an integral part of track maintenance to restore the rail profile and remove microcracks and ribbing. The high temperature melts the metal shavings, which then cool, forming characteristic, often brittle, formations.
14. A piece of fabric resembling a cape; the blue material resembles velvet, the red interior resembles silk or satin. 
A hood is part of the graduation ceremony attire. 
15. A piece of metal and an unknown durable material, found at a jewelry sale 
Vintage blade sharpener. 
