When people stumble across strange objects in their grandparents’ cupboards, the first question is usually, “What is it, and how do you use it?” Some of these items turn out to be practical tools, while others are quirky relics from another time. For example, what looked like a small bucket was actually a sugar scuttle, sometimes used for mixed nuts. A mysterious chain inside a door turned out to be part of a broken concealed door closer. A hand-sized promo item with a red expandable bag was an old-fashioned ice pack for headaches or injuries. What seemed like a bracelet was really a tie chain to keep a tie in place. An antique shop box revealed itself to be a camera case, while a heavy object with Chinese characters was identified as a “chop,” a traditional stamp used to sign documents.

Tiny spoons with a brown substance found in a park were tamarind candy spoons, and a small tub beside a jetted tub was probably meant for towels or even artificial plants. Scissors with a strange angle were designed to trim candle wicks, and a strap found on the ground turned out to be boot decoration. A silver spoon with a “top” part was likely a medicine spoon, though some thought it could work as an egg separator. A rattle-like item missing its bells was indeed an old baby rattle.

A gift with a silver top and wooden bottom was identified as a Victorian nail buffer, while an heirloom kept for 80 years turned out to be part of a Prussian soldier’s coffee kit. Even a transparent plastic gadget with a spinning cylinder found in an office space had a simple answer—it was a paperclip dispenser. Finally, a small ceramic dish with three holes was just a soap dish. And as for the phone charm shaped like a macaron, that one still remains a mystery.