Gina Heslop
History is a constant reminder of the swift changes that occur over time. What was once commonplace can quickly become a mystery, evident not just to historians but also in our everyday encounters. Objects that our predecessors understood well might leave us perplexed. A collection of twelve mysterious images triggered a wave of curiosity on the internet, but fortunately, explanations emerged to demystify them.
- A perplexing item found in a drawer sparked concern.
The revelation? It was part of a classic Sunbeam Mixmaster, specifically a juicer attachment with a spout and wire strainer.
- An extraordinarily heavy glass with bubbles inside and an inscription from 1978 raised questions.
It turns out to be a paperweight, once functional for keeping papers in place on windy desks, now mostly used as a decoration.
- A peculiar glass ball suspended by screws in a metal frame left many puzzled.
It is identified as a Campbell-Stokes sunshine recorder, used to burn tracks on a marked card, indicating sunlight intensity.
- A thick round wooden stick with a cylindrical structure prompted speculation.
Likely used with a Singing Bell, it creates vibrations when rubbed around the bell’s edge.
- A three-legged stool with a narrow back and an unknown purpose.
Was identified as a milking stool, also serving as a 3-legged birthing style spinning chair.
- A glass vase with a metal grill inside was found at Nan’s house.
Was a rose bowl for arranging cut flowers.
- A leather object about 15″ in length.
Turned out to be a decorative tassel from a purse.
- A stainless-steel object was discovered in a lab space.
Was recognized as a glass tube cutter commonly used in chemistry labs.
- An old glass cabinet item with narrowing holes was identified as a flower frog.
It was used for holding flower arrangements in a vase.
- An empty gold ring with a small hole on the back raised questions.
The purpose of the hole? To prevent air pressure changes from damaging the ring.
- A mysterious glass object with weight and a narrow hole on top.
It was unveiled as an oil candle.
- A ring found buried in a garden turned out to be a mourning ring from the Georgian/early Victorian era, adorned with initials.
It represents a lost loved one, likely made in the 1820s-40s.
