We have created so many things in our lifetimes that it is hard to recall them all, and many of them have a mysterious quality. These mystery items are often (but now always) from a time past with no current practical use.
Today, we’re going to present you with six enigmatic objects that have baffled people. They were originally submitted to DustyOldThing.com, an online antique enthusiast website. We have no clue what they are, but we’ll give our best guess. If anyone can identify them, please let us know!
Object 1:
Question: “Can someone tell me what this was used for? The only marking is Sterling”
Best Guess: We believe it is a vintage coin holder made of brass. It was probably used as a prototype for the leather wallet with coin pockets. Today, it is a relic of the past that can be used for housing the rare coins you may have been collecting.
Object 2:
Question: “Does anyone know what in the heck this is? I found it in my cabinet with an auction tag still on it.”
Best Guess: This mysterious item is probably a vintage juicer. Way before the age of electricity had been mainstream, and everything was built to run on it, we had to use our muscles to do everything. From the design, you can clearly see that the user will have to use the lever to squeeze whatever is inside the cup – a simple and effective design.
Object 3:
Question: “Would love to know what this is. I got it from my grandmother’s antique store 40 years ago.”
Best Guess: This one we are quite stumped about. The glasses are, of course, obvious. It’s the mysterious item on the right side that is very difficult to identify. Our best guess is that it is some kind of a medical tool used by midwives way back when. At the same time, it also looks like some kind of hidden dagger or blade. Do you know what this is?
Object 4:
Question: “I’m trying to find out what this is and maybe what it could be worth, Help.”
Best Guess: This one has also eluded our wits. Going by the dragon motif on the sculpture, it possibly has an Asian origin. However, we are not even sure what it is supposed to be because none of the four upward-pointing mouths have any opening. We cannot see the bottom; however, if there is an opening there, it may be a musical instrument of some sort. Of course, these are all guesses.
Object 5:
Question: “Wondering what this is. It opens and closes, and has an opening on the tapered end. I think it’s cast aluminum.”
Best Guess: This mystery item was probably a kitchen utensil. If you think the tapered end looks like a chicken leg, well that’s because that was the intended purpose! This is known as a Chicken Leg Press Aluminum Mold. People in the kitchen would use this to compact ground beef or pork into the shape of a chicken leg. Ingenious item.
Object 6:
Question: “We received these from my husband’s great-grandmother. Does anyone know what they are or their age? It’s a set of 6 with hollow rods and some kind of Aztec depiction in the center of the circles. The only marking is “Made in Mexico” in Spanish on the back. Any info would be greatly appreciated. Thank you!”
Answer: This is probably a cocktail stirrer or straw. The image in the middle possibly represents the Aztec calendar. They may be as old as the 1950s. The stirrers may also be hand-made which would add to its value. They can be usually used for drinks or even ice cream!
So, do you know of any of them? If you do, then let us know in the comments! Also, feel free to show it to your friends and family to get the answer.
