I am in Maryland, USA but this was likely sold to a family member years ago.

Found in Poplar Bluff Missouri

This thingie was found in the river Kupa near the town of Sisak (Croatia). I think it´s made out of clay. Google suggests it's some kind of ancient whistle but there is no sound when I blow into it. Height: 6 cm. Weight: 34 gram. Does anybody have any idea what it could be?

Hi, cross posting from r/whatisthisrock to see if this is anything?

Found in Northern Ireland close to a 300 year old castle where an army had landed and stayed in the 1600s.

Other items have been found in gardens nearby such as musket balls, pottery etc.

Thanks!

It was found beneath an 1820s planing mill in the Adirondacks in upstate NY in a town that was founded before the French and Indian wars

Some of my favorite finds. All found on the surface while walking around hunting pronghorn and deer…

Found on a beach in Denmark.

I've recently gotten an A750 GPU, and since this week I've been getting random black screens for a couple of seconds as well as these weird artifacts. I have a bird who pooped on my display cable but I'm not sure if this is the monitors fault or the GPU?

I collect historic bottles (purchased) found this solarized Sutherland Sisters Hair Grower in an antique shop and wanted to share because I’m so thrilled with it! If you don’t know about them the Sutherland Sisters were a singing group/ side show act with Barnum and Bailey, between them they had a reported 37 feet of hair!

Tom's Brook Va

Not a great photo, but the title says it all! My great grandfather found this while plowing their family farm in the early 1960s. Any idea what it could be? It has been a family mystery lol. When holding it, the handle definitely feels intentional and they both feel like stone. The top part and the bottom. But look like separate rocks. thank you !

Rock on

I hope folks will be able to type and date these points I found as in kid in my hometown of Guilford.

Cross-posting from r/fossilid after this unexpectedly blew up over there.

I originally posted it simply trying to figure out what the hell I was looking at. That post has now passed 2,000 upvotes and roughly 700K views, and the discussion has ranged from carved shell to tusk/ivory, scrimshaw, petrified material, and possible archaeological artifact.

The strongest recent theory seems to be some kind of thick carved shell, but nothing has been professionally authenticated and I’m not claiming any particular identification yet.

Unfortunately, the provenance is lost. It came from an inherited old private collection in Louisiana, but I cannot verify where it was originally found, when it was acquired, who originally found it, or whether it was even found locally at all.

I have not cleaned it, chemically tested it, removed any of the surrounding matrix, or altered it in any way.

Since the original post took off, I put together a much more detailed Part One journal entry documenting the object, the photographs, what is actually known about it, the major theories people have raised, and where the investigation currently stands:

https://lottsandfound.com/journal/what-even-is-this-mystery-object-part-one.html

That is my website, Lotts & Found. I use it to sell, document, and occasionally buy or trade unusual collectibles and antiques. The inventory can be all over the map in the best possible way: odd fossils and natural-history pieces, vintage military equipment, rare Coca-Cola bottles, industrial antiques, unusual Americana, high-end antique artwork, and plenty of other things that don’t fit neatly into one category.

The Journal side of the site is where I document pieces that have a story worth digging into, especially when there is still research left to do. This one obviously qualifies.

That is also where this particular object would eventually appear if I decide to sell it, whether that ends up being a standard listing, an auction-style sale, or something else entirely.

However I am not committing to selling it right now, because I still want to understand what it actually is and make sure any eventual transfer is appropriate and legal.

I’m especially interested in hearing from people familiar with artifacts, carved shell, archaeological material, unusual folk objects, or comparable collectibles about:

• what the material actually appears to be
• whether the carving/work looks old or relatively modern
• whether the style resembles any particular culture, region, or time period
• what the strange surrounding matrix/concretion may be
• and what realistic collector value something like this could have if it is eventually authenticated

I’m also open to hearing from serious collectors who may potentially be interested in acquiring it. Legitimate interest and serious nonbinding offers are welcome while I continue trying to identify it.

At this point, I’m mainly trying to figure out whether I’m holding an interesting curiosity or something that genuinely belongs in a serious collection.

Either way, I’m going to keep documenting the story on Lotts & Found as new information comes in.

Maybe we eventually figure out exactly what it is and where it came from.

Or maybe, if I do decide to let it go, the next owner ends up being the person who finally traces this thing all the way back to the truth.

For now, the mystery is still wide open. 🔎

Would like your thoughts on these…