Explain What This Thing Is (20 Photos)

It's been a while since we checked out intriguing and mysterious finds. Time for another edition of our occasional feature, "What Is This Thing?" Dive right in and enjoy!

1. A black metal kit containing 6 parts, screws, nuts, and wall mounts. Factory-sealed with no markings or instructions.





A CD rack.



2. A round object made of heavy silver metal (430 g, 8.5 cm in diameter). An inner dial with numbers and an outer dial with letters, both of which rotate. The back cover opens to reveal an internal mechanism.





A rare Beyer Krypto portable mechanical cipher device styled like a pocket watch.



3. A small, flat metal gadget with a curved base engraved with a pike.



A key for opening caviar tins.

4. Strange scissors found in a kitchen drawer.



Quail egg scissors. They are designed to quickly and cleanly snip off the top of a raw quail egg without crushing the shell or leaving fragments inside.

5. Mysterious straps on a hat.



This bucket hat is called a "boonie hat," originally developed for military use in the jungle. The loops are meant for inserting foliage, twigs, and branches for camouflage.



6. A strange device mounted on a ceiling.



A ceiling-mounted Zebra ATR7000 Real-Time Location System (RTLS) reader. It uses RFID technology to track inventory, equipment, and carts in real time, pinpointing the exact location and direction of objects passing through the area. The device is attached to an adjustable drop pole for optimal tag coverage.

7. A threaded iron rod.



A pin mount for a glass insulator, used on early telegraph lines or power poles.

8. A small hand tool with a sharp tip at the end.



A Safe Skies master key designed for airport security personnel to unlock and relock TSA-approved luggage locks.

Used by customs and security screeners to inspect luggage without damaging or breaking the locks.

It features a uniquely shaped key tip and an ergonomic plastic handle with finger grips for extra leverage when opening stubborn mechanisms.

9. A machine made of enameled iron, brass, and steel. Moving parts include gears, cranks, and a figure-8 fold-down device.



An optical lens edging machine.

10. A very suspicious-looking camera.



A traffic surveillance camera.

11. A small white cylindrical object with a rounded button and batteries inside.



A wireless puck light that got painted over during a home renovation. The device runs on batteries (usually AAA) housed inside.

Pressing the central round button turns the light on and off. If you scrape off the paint, it will work again.

12. A glass and wood cabinet with racks and built-in lighting.



This piece of furniture is a custom-made wooden display cabinet featuring vertical glass doors and hanging fabric shelves inside. It was likely built to store baguettes, paper scrolls, books, or newspapers.

13. An unusual fixture in a hotel bathroom.



A vertical towel warmer (a Cordivari Lisa ladder-style designer radiator) mounted on the black-tiled wall above the bathtub.

14. A rope loop with a woven triangle at the end and a rigid, fabric-covered bar tied above the triangle.



This is part of a frog closure (a loop and toggle fastener) handcrafted from braided textile cord. These closures are traditionally used on coats, capes, and other heavy outerwear.

It consists of a cord loop, a textile toggle bar, and a decorative triangular braided knot, serving as both a functional and decorative garment fastener.



15. Pants with a weird pocket that opens at the bottom.



Fjällräven Vidda Pro trousers feature a dedicated axe-and-tool sleeve on the leg.