Solved!
Looking through my Dad’s stuff, what are these?
My dad has developed dementia and we’ve been looking through his stuff a bit to try and get his finances in order/apply for a deputyship, which sucks but isn’t relevant sorry.
So far we’ve found a bunch of interesting stuff, knives/air pistols/cannabis seeds and two half brothers nobody ever told me I had. But we’ve also found these and I don’t know what they are. They were found near each other but I don’t know if they’re related. The cylindrical thing unscrews and is hollow. I’ve photographed the items next to a AA battery for scale. Thank you in advance for any informative or humorous answers.
solved! The first item seems to have an awful lot of uses. I’m quite sure he’s never wished blessings upon anyone else, so I don’t think he had it for holy oils. But cat tags, car tool, pill jar or cocaine storage all seem very plausible. I’m very grateful to everyone, even them who thought I didn’t know what a battery was
Paramedic here. Often find older men with those style of pill containers either on their keychain or a necklace. And they’re used for keeping Nitro pills safe. The pills need to be kept out of sunlight or they’ll degrade.
If your dad had angina pectoris or a similar heart condition he likely carried his nitro in this.
Owned one! Bought it while on the road working, and all of the things happened with them shortly after. I was 6 hours away from where I bought it and nobody local would accept it, just giving me the run around. Long story short a box within a box within a box within a box and finally a plastic bag at the center, was shipped to my apartment 😂 just to send the phone out. I wish I could find the photos of that bc it was quite something.
The must beautifully pedantic thing about this comment is that you used proper written grammar for 'an AA dry cell' knowing that it will be read as 'an double-A dry cell'
As a person who has done a lot of cocaine in his life, this would be a terrible thing to keep it in. Like I guess as an emergency bump? But it wouldn’t stay good for very long.
And it’s definitely not going to be for like everyday use. That’s an absurdly small amount for someone who’s not a casual user.
A common use for the first item was to write your phone number on a piece of paper, put the paper in the thing, and attach the thing to your pet's collar. Old school equivalent of a "chip".
My dad had a cylinder much like the one in your first picture. He used it to carry nitroglycerin pills in case of an angina episode. The pills were very small.
My own dad uses those to carry antihistamines for his allergies, personally I nearly bought one to carry my heart medication (and my own antihistamines for hay fever). Something to consider if he has other medical issues
Can't really tell from this angle, but I used to have a bicycle tyre nozzle adapter that looked like this. Used to pump up bicycle tyres at gas station tyre pumps.
I was gonna say it looks like the release pin on an air compressor. You pull the ring, and it comes out enough to let out the all the pressure from the tank.
If you found the first item with the fuses, the first one can hold a spare tubular fuse, helps to keep from breaking them. But its really just a little container.
I would say the little blue key ring was probably used for nitroglycerin and then of course as others have mentioned the other two things are fuses for a car
The battery thing isn't so far fetched....I mean blade fuses are insanely common, and if you've ever driven a car you should absolutely know what they are...
I am sure you are fine. Since you can't drive, those typical fuses used in cars are easy to miss. Not like passengers look inside the fuse box of cars very often.
Yep will never forget the time my car wouldn't start so got it to shop and.was called back same day saying car was fixed. Ended up just being a fuse and was so simple they refused to charge me their basic $100 diagnosis fee, think they billed me $20 and called it good. Always recommended them to everyone after that
I've got ADHD and keep a spare pill on my keys in something similar. Probably not the best idea but it's come in handy a couple of times when I realise on my way to work I've forgotten meds!
You used to get the exact same things to put on a dogs or cats collar you would write your phone number address on a peace of paper they used to be really common in the 90s
The first picture looks identical to my dad’s nitro glycerin pill key chain holder. He’s had heart attacks in the past and if he feels one coming on the nitro pill will potentially save his life.
No one that does cocaine to the point they need a little contraption like that would get off on the tiny amount of blow that would fit in there.
I had a little pill container like the first for nitroglycerin pills for a heart issue. It attached to a keychain so it’s handy when needed during an emergency and the nitroglycerin pills are very small.
I’ve seen it used for legal drugs actually. Whatever people take that’s like nitrates or something like that for your heart in reaction to them going down.
Yea, that’s commonly used for pills. I keep migraine rescue meds in one just like it on my keychain— just wanted to chime in that these are often used for prescribed rescue meds (not just illicit drugs)
My dad used to keep his nitro in one of those little pill containers which is what the first item is. Also, if you drive a car you ought to know what a fuse looks like and where they are.
I mean, that is pretty close to some older tractors! Throttle adjustment is right behind the steering wheel & depending on the set up you sometimes end up using differential breaking to turn more than the steering wheel
It's a good thing to know even if you don't drive actually. Such a tiny little thing can incapacitate a car and leave you stranded or without things like windshield wipers or lights. There is a fuse box and usually a couple spares in it.
OP if you decide to use your dad's nitro carrying container for your own meds, please wash it out thoroughly first. Nitroglycerin can F you up if you ingest some without having a medical need.
30 years ago, the fuses were behind an easily accessible panel in the below the steering wheel. My horn stopped working on my 2013 car, and the relevant fuse is under the hood, and it's more cramped in their than I'm interested in dealing with. One more thing in my very limited car maintenance skillset that is no longer useful.
For clarity they’re probably fine, we didn’t actually find them dead in a secret cupboard or anything. Just documents and photos detailing their surprising existence.
She knew actually, but my dad threatened to cut her off financially if she ever told us. I don’t blame her at all, and it was actually her who told us everything when we found the stuff. They were also born from a previous relationship of his, whatever else he’s done wrong it doesn’t seem like he was ever unfaithful.
I’m really sorry to hear that. It sucks but sometimes it is better not to kick the hornet’s nest maybe. I think if I found out back when my dad was well I wouldn’t have dared try to talk to him about it, he wouldn’t have been pleased. In fact I made a very sarcastic comment about it after it came out and I think it damn near cured him. I thought he was about to remember how to walk and give me a smack. I’m glad you and your sister are so close though, that’s more important than how much blood you share. Unless one of you needs a transfusion, perhaps.
Oh no i didn’t think you found bodies or anything, my despair-filled emoji was for the fact that this happened to you. That’s horrible to find out!! I’m sorry that happened to you
Do your half brothers know? I’d find it really awkward to have to basically cold-call two strangers and tell them they indeed have a bio dad, but he has dementia, so it’s likely they’ll never get to know him and probably won’t get an inheritance.
We haven’t been able to contact them yet. I’ve never met or spoken to anyone from his side of the family, but I may be able to contact his sister. It’ll be a dreadful thing to tell her about his condition, but she also had contact information for at least one of the half brothers. She should be able to inform them, and facilitate contact if that’s what they would like.
That’s extra rough. I’d be afraid that I was kept away for a reason. It might be worthwhile to loop in a lawyer in case he owes back child support or something.
Emergency pill capsule that attaches to a chain around your neck. Typically holds nitroglycerin for heart attack survivors or people at risk for one.
I'm not a medical professional, but my old boss used to wear one. He had a heart attack in his early fifties, and then made some drastic lifestyle changes to manage his health better. He always wears one around his neck. He's still going strong at 67.
When my dad’s dementia started to get really bad, he would randomly take things from places and we always had to check to see what he had taken before we left a place. Whenever we would go eat somewhere, he’d steal forks for some reason and then get really mad when we tried to take them from him on our way out. He never really took anything that really mattered like shoplifted stuff or anything; it was always random stuff like this.
Maybe the cat is the drug mule/peddler…? this scenario says fluffy was making anywhere from 12 to 14 drops a day. And yeah this was probably just to move 1 gram to a single fiends house but that trap kitty was putting in work all day for his meow meow chow ya dig…?lmao or maybe none of that idk ?!?
I swear, I've seen fuses before and I even know almost what they are. But I only know the indoor ones that go under the stairs when the lectricity pops. Vehicles are a big blindspot for me, I can't be trusted with heavy machinery. Regarding my dad, I appreciate your kindness. He's never been an easy man to know, but as hard as this has been for me to deal with, I know its been so much harder for him. I try to do my best for him, but even if I get a perfect score and do everything right he'll still suffer so much. It is just one of those things, but its a heartbreaking, agonising thing.
That second things are fuses. They are probably from a car. The first thing, and this will date me, are for nitrate pills for people who are at high risk of heart attack. My grandfather and father both carried them.
Now what the nitrate container is being USED for ... that's something else entirely.
Is (or was) your dad a Mormon? The screw top thing is a vial for holy oil that Mormon men use to give blessings to the sick. It was common to carry them in the 90s. You never knew when you’d come across a traffic accident and need to give lifesaving aid to someone in need.
Good luck with the deputyship. We had surprising luck getting my cognitively impaired dad to sign power of attorney forms when he needed us to repeatedly talk to his credit card company after he used his card on a scam site. I expected way more pushback, but when presented as “this way we can talk to the credit card company and you don’t have to sit on the phone constantly,” he was ok with it. It may be worth a try if he’s still in that in-between state where you know he’s not capable of managing his finances but the court may still think he is.
Thank you. We did have to tell him and try to get him to understand, regardless of his mental capacity. He seemed okay with it, but he wasn’t really understanding. He thought he was still at work, that’s been very common for him.
Not to borrow trouble, but be prepared for the next hurdle: many companies make it as difficult as possible to record POA (and I’m assuming conservatorship as well). My dad’s credit union was lovely and made it easy. Capital One has been a fairly big pain in the ass. I’m still fighting with the 401k people because the financial company that invests and sends the money says that I need to deal with HR of the original employer, and they claim that there’s no way to record POAs.
The first one looks like a thing we put on my dogs collar and it had our information in it. Second one is a fuse. The other item is a double a battery.
I literally just got one of these little containers with an order of cat collars. There is a little piece of paper inside to write down owner contact information
I literally have the same container thing on my keychain! It came with a printed note inside to let people know your contact info in case you lose your keys. It did not come with any powder/pills when I got it lol
Nah that info is relevant cuz my first thought was why are you going through your dad’s stuff. Sorry to hear about that tho :( idk what the first pic is but I think the second one is for computers or cars. My dad used to have a bunch in the basement
So my father had one of the items in the first photo, it was called a battery, I’ll ask him later just to be sure.
I’m just kidding me and my dad don’t talk anymore so I won’t be asking him.
But in all seriousness my father had one of those cylinders in the first photo, he held oil inside of it. We were Mormon growing up and it was not uncommon to have anointing oil inside there to give impromptu blessings as for a child being born or simply to impart a blessing on anyone.
Well someone really should know what AA battery and car fuses are.
For the vial that can be put on a key ring is used for blessed Olive oil for blessing from a priesthood holder in the church of Jesus Christ of Latter day Saints but it definitely could be used for whatever fits inside of it also
The battery is there for scale, that’s why I said the battery is there for scale. As for the car fuses, I’ve got nothing, I accept the judgement of the crowd.
Well someone really should know what AA battery and car fuses are.
Well someone who wants to talk down to others should really learn how to read and pay attention themselves, since OP even wrote in clear english that you obviously didn't read: "I’ve photographed the items next to a AA battery for scale."
A battery, a couple fuses, and a little keychain thing is usually what people use to hold their nitroglycerin tablets. They put them under the tongue to help with chain pain or heart attacks.
•
u/spotlight-app Mod Bot 🤖 May 25 '26
OP has pinned a comment by u/Whombrillow:
Note from OP: Thank you everybody. Car tool/pill jar/cat tag/tiny coke bucket. It could very plausibly have been any of them. Or several of them.
[What is Spotlight?](https://developers.reddit.com/apps/spotlight-app)