"This thin, metal rod with a tiny handle that was dropped off at a thrift store" A: “This is for removing a cork from a wine bottle if it falls all the way in. Here’s the patent from 1985. The inventor lived in Vancouver, where I also live; perhaps that’s why I recognized it. I’ve seen these around. Pretty sure my mom and dad had one.”

"This bell-like structure at the top of a Victorian-era brick building" A: “It’s a hook used to hoist furniture to the upper floors of the building. A pulley is hung from it to assist. The bell shape is likely just to protect from rain.”

"This 5-foot-tall metal tube at an abandoned train station in Belgium" A: “It’s similar to this one in “Asch station, Netherlands. It is said to be a one-man air-raid box.”

"This small metal cup with a flat, holey side found in a Victorian-era dump in Southeast England" A: “Solved! It’s a Victorian Bell trap. Thank you very much indeed! It’s been bugging me for ages.”

"This egg-shaped object with a black lacquered handle" A: “That’s a darning egg. The black lacquered part is the handle, and the lighter wood is the ‘egg’ to brace clothing against when darning holes. It’s especially useful for socks!”

"These steel hoops outside of people’s front doors in Bordeaux" A: “Boot scrapers.” “When those were installed, horses were probably the main transportation option, and in addition, nobody carried dog poop bags. I have seen quotes that NYC in 1900 dealt with 2.5 million pounds of horse poop per day! Vibram hadn’t been invented, so I would guess not a lot of lugged soles. That would make these both very necessary and probably fairly effective.”

"Two hollow metal cylinders found in an abandoned mine in Utah" A: “These are definitely mercury flasks. Mercury is pretty toxic, and it’s really not fun to get sick from it. You usually feel really horrible, and you never get better. It doesn’t take much to permanently poison or kill a person. These flasks could still have a little in them, and perhaps more importantly is that if they’re empty, it means the area could be contaminated.”

"These scrub-brush like objects sticking out of the side of a house" A: “Dutch ecologist over here. This building is probably about to be demolished. They are making this building “nature-free.” The blocks are used for Swifts. Nesting places for Swifts are year-round protected, so also in winter when they are not here. The Swifts had already left for Africa, so they plugged the holes to prevent something else from entering before demolishing the building. All of this is done to prevent the killing of protected species before demolishing a building. And if they are going to build something new in the place of this building, then there should be at least as many accommodations built in for Swifts in the new building.”

"This 2-foot-long case lined with silk" A: “It is one of these [Art Deco 1930 Celluloid Vanity or Boudoir Set}with the internals missing.”

"This brass cylinder with a mirror on one end" A: “It’s a microscope. The mirror is to focus a light source through the slide.”

"This metal case containing some equipment and Russian manuals" A: “Booklet reads in Russian: Dose rate meter (roentgen meter) – TECHNICAL DESCRIPTION AND OPERATING INSTRUCTIONS. So I believe this is an old portable radiation detector (aka dosimeter) that probably provides gamma and dose rate measurements for emergency response and hazmat.”

"This small bulb-shaped item found in a box in an attic in South Carolina" A: “It’s a vintage miniature or pocket oiler.”

"This orange, moist goo found under some tall grass" A: “This is slime mold.”

"This oblong weighted metal object that spins on the attached ring" A: “These are called Emei daggers. This is a training weapon for kung fu.”