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28 Things People Keep At Home But Avoid Talking About Because They Are So Controversial, As Shared Online
Probably, each of us has strange things, similar to a suitcase without a handle - they're hard to carry, but it is absolutely a pity to leave them behind. Things that once mattered to us or someone close to us, but today gather dust somewhere in the attic or sometimes 'float to the surface' during a thorough cleaning of the house.
The most interesting thing about these items is that almost every one of them has its own story, thrilling or amusing, and sometimes it sounds so incredible that it looks more like an excerpt from some adventure movie than a story from real life. Perhaps it is precisely because of the memories that these things give us that we continue to selflessly store them at home, brushing off the dust and wiping an occasional tear from our eyes.
Once a thread appeared in the AskReddit community, which instantly went viral with almost 40K upvotes and around 23.3K different comments. The author of the original post asked "What is the most controversial thing you own?" and if you're a writer experiencing a genre crisis, there's just an endless sea of fresh ideas here for you. However, the selection made by Bored Panda based on the original thread will be interesting for literally anyone, so please feel free to scroll it to the very end and tell your own stories in case you own some strange items as well.
More info: Reddit
This post may include affiliate links.
#1
A Bengal tiger pelt.
My wife is half Indian. A friend of her family died, and they found a tiger pelt in his belongings. He was early 80’s and was born and raised in India before moving to my country (Canada). The estate was split in 3 so most everything had to be liquidated. Well you can’t sell tiger pelts here, and no museum or anything seemed to want it. So somehow I wound up with it.
My wife’s a vegetarian for ethical reasons. So naturally I was floored to bring it home. Id never hunt an endangered species, and I’m firmly against hunting for sport. But I wasn’t going to let it get thrown in the trash.
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#2
My great grandpa was a medic in ww2 and we own a little chest with his personal belongings, including his diary, some old bandages
And 3 vials of 1940s morphine
#3
Apparently, a full vaccination card. (A genuine one.) And a mask.
#4
A packaged stick from Afghanistan that claims to cure all known illnesses, including cancer, if you rub it on you.
I traded an energy drink for it.
I think it’s pretty controversial since I now own the cure for all ailments.
#5
As a joke I told my mom I wanted my dogs testicles in a jar after we had him neutered…. She took it seriously and now I have had my dogs balls in a jar for almost a decade
#6
Allister Crowley's Key of Solomon. It's a book about summoning demons. It's just a curiosity piece.
#7
My Scottish family crest is a hand holding a severed head on a sword. The owner of the head is a Moor who allegedly was wanted by the king. The reward was land. My ancestor caught this guy, cut off his head and brought it to the king. Pretty controversial when you know what a Moor was.
#8
When my sister was in high school she wrote letters to Charles Manson. He wrote her back. My dad intercepted the letters in the mail. He never opened them, but still has them. My sister never knew he wrote back.
**Edit to answer some questions**
I can’t believe I woke up this morning to this explosion…
My sister is 7 years older. Mental health was left generally undiagnosed and untreated in the 80s. She was a rough kid to parent, and even as a sibling there’s a lot of trauma stemming from her I’ve had to work through. I haven’t spoken to her since I was in my 20s. She’s estranged from my dad, my other sister, and I. She has worked her way back into my mom’s life as she’s gotten older, more than likely to benefit from her death.
I do remember her being obsessed with Manson when I was a kid. She was a f*****g menace, constantly getting into some sort of trouble, running away, police calls, etc. As soon as she turned 18 she was kicked out. She turned 50 last month, and according to my mom “she finally has her life together, she bought her first house”.
My dad told me about the letters approximately a year ago. This happened 30 years ago, I’m pretty sure there wouldn’t be any federal charges brought against him (haha), and he has no reason to make this up or lie about it. I told him I want them left to me in his will.
To the people messaging me to buy the letters…big fat f*****g NO. If and when I get them in my possession, I’ll evaluate what I want to do with them at this time. I agree they’re worth more sealed than opened.
that one ace lesbian demigirl 1 year ago
Guys watch out for some a*****e named xidaci7. advertising bots. UGH
#9
Probably a small bone I lifted from a catacomb In Peru when I was younger. Technically I’m a grave robber and definitely getting haunted.
#10
5 grams of uranium metal, stored under oil in a glass vial.
#11
Not me, my parents growing up..
they had an actual elephant foot turned into a table.
Like an actual foot cut from an elephant and taxidermied made into an end table. Had a glass table top. You could feel the thin hairs on it. F****n haunted my dreams man.
zak 1 year ago
We have an elephant foot in my family, too; it was made into a stool/ottoman, and has the skin/hair/toenails still intact. I posted in another thread a while ago about the leg bone that I have. My grandfather was a professional archer with a long bow (he's actually in the hall of fame). For the record, I don't condone killing elephants.
#12
My family owns a petrified walrus [wang], my grandmother took it to get it identified at the Smithsonian several decades ago. Apparently her grandfather or maybe it was her great-grandfather brought it home after he spent several years on some type of expedition up around northern Alaska and points north. It has been loaned out to several museums at different times. The family has talked about selling it but everyone has to agree and so far there is no agreement about selling it. So I own 1/67th of a petrified walrus [wing-dang-doodle].
#13
Umm mortuary toe tags from an asylum in New York ....like twenty or so of them ... I think they could be the only things left showing that these people actually lived
#14
An ornate, Boer tobacco jar from the 1800s. My great grandfather looted it off a dead militiaman during the Second Boer war.
#15
I have a glass vial/small bottle of pure histamine. If anyone would be exposed to this they would get a deadly allergic reaction. I have it double sealed.
LoneTomato 1 year ago
Not being shady.... but I'm highly curious as to how people acquire some of these things
#16
A first print edition of Batman Damned #1, the one featuring Batman's "little batman". (From DC Black Label featuring more adult content. Violence and swearing are totally fine, but a shadowy [phallic] profile made people flip out enough they removed it from subsequent print runs).
#17
A small horse figurine made of ivory. I have a small collection of horse figurines, and it was a gift from my grandmother from when I was little. Nothing I can really do about it, but I still feel a little icky for having it.
Paul Pienkowski 1 year ago
My girlfriend showed me her grandma's eagle hat. Or headdress, she called it. She's only allowed to own it because it she is half Native. Apparently you can't own eagle feathers otherwise.
#18
An original Asteroids arcade machine.
But my brother and I removed the original (burned-in) oscilloscope screen and replaced it with an LCD panel, replaced the controls with six-button arcade fighter sticks, and hooked the whole thing up to a hacked Xbox with thousands of dumped ROMs on it. The original board was gone before we got the cab, donated to another machine that did have a working monitor.
Controversial because some arcade historians would prefer to see these cabs preserved rather than hacked. But with a burned screen and no board, this cab was pretty useless.
M O'Connell 1 year ago
As long as the sticks were installed in the original button cutouts and nothing was done to damage the rest of the original cabinet then what you've done is fine. Mods are totally ok as long as they are done in a way that is reversible.
#19
An original copy of Mao’s Red Book from when they were distributed in China back in the 60s
Also a copy of Mein Kampf but I’m not sure about this copy’s backstory
Paul Pienkowski 1 year ago
Mein Kampf is terrible. But it is a great insight into the mind of a complete nutball.
#20
Troll dolls we're very big in the early 90's. I have a confederate soldier troll doll in full uniform with flag in hand. Thanks Dad!
#21
A copy of The Anarchist's Cookbook
Alias-the-shade 1 year ago
For a second I thought it said Antichrist cookbook but know I’m disappointed 😭
#22
I have a few Ivory jewellery pieces from the early 70s my parents bought back from Botswana, and a poison arrow kit. Mum has the 3-metre long python skin she just put in her luggage from back then too.
#23
I bought a used Bill Cosby comedy album on vinyl and the next week everything started coming out about the horrible things he had done ☹️
R.A. Haley 1 year ago
I have several of his albums from back when he was funny. They're still funny, but you kind of laugh out the side of your mouth now.
#24
A piece of a radiation bore drill encased in resin. It has a cloud floating above it in the resin where the focal point is. It's safe now, bizarre to think about, and probably illegal as f**k for a civilian to aquire today.
M O'Connell 1 year ago
These devices are used in resource-extraction drilling. The way the radiation reflects back to the source allows measurement of material density. Less dense material is desirable because it is more likely to produce oil or gas.
#25
A switch knife. Technically one with a blade as long as mine is illegal in my area. I don't know I would rather have it and risk the misdemeanor than not have it with me.
Dee Martin-Magninie 1 year ago
My husband has brass knuckles that apparently belonged to his great grandmother 😂
#26
An uncut DVD of Caligula.
I am not sure if it is still banned or not.
#27
Kony 2012 Kit. It’s a whole thing and I don’t want to talk about it.
#28
My 26.5” scale 8 string guitar is apparently super controversial to every guitarist I’ve ever shown it to.
Chucky Cheezburger 1 year ago
That's a picture of a 4 string acoustic bass in the foreground. Cant tell if the controversial instrument is the one in the background. Kinda sounds like they have an 8 string bass.
What do you think ?
Red Ruffensor 1 year ago
I own a vial of mercury, but haven't played with it for a long time. I also own a copy of Steal This Book, which was banned here in Canada.
Chucky Cheezburger 1 year ago
I have some mercury as well. We have some outdated mercury pressure switches that we are phasing out and I collect all the little vials, cut them open and dump them into a jar.
Load More Replies...
that one ace lesbian demigirl 1 year ago
Just another a*****e advertising bot in the comments. Downvote them, please. Or report them. Either works.
James Edwards 1 year ago
But...But I made $60,000 while reading this post, /s
Load More Replies...
EvilNob 1 year ago
My family has a human skull. It was for some years at one of the police stations near us and was never identified. We just pretty much went there and asked for it. They were actually happy to get rid of it. So we just adopted him/her/it. Sometimes the local school's art club borrowed it as a model.
Sky Render 1 year ago
Most controversial thing I own is probably my marriage license. I am a gay intersex woman married to a gay transgender woman. That's grounds for murder on several points in far too many places in the world.
Littlemiss 1 year ago
Congratulations, may you have long and happy life together. One day the world will realize that love is love and that's that. I hope to see it in my life time.
Load More Replies...
RedBadgerCan'tSwim 1 year ago
I have an ivory statue of an elephant that is ironically missing it's tusks. I'm not 100% sure where it came from, but I think from a great grandparent.
Samantha Martini 1 year ago
Question.. why can't people upload their own photos of these awesome finds they have?! The pictures aren't even of what they are talking about and I assume they didn't even upload them, would have been 10 times more interesting... Or should I say less confusing judging by the comments it seems as if people think that they're the actual pictures 🤔😐
Phoenix the Frog 1 year ago
I have a freemason ring, it is a grand master one. I got it at a thrift store.
Ila Callya 1 year ago
I wouldn't put that one out there, you'll end up on a high frequency list....hackers will find your location, and target you day and night...you're going to love it.
Load More Replies...
camille 1 year ago
I own 4 human molars. However, they're mine, when I got braces they had to be removed and I got to keep them.
Islandchild 1 year ago
My family has a number of ivory statues all dating back to trips grandparents made in the late 60s early 70s. I remember growing up loving them as they were so beautiful and the texture of the ivory was lovely. While I knew what ivory was I didn't know about how it was obtained. Once I worked it out I was horrified. They are still treasured however, for both the childhood memories and the animals that died for them.
marianne eliza 1 year ago (edited)
To fellow K9 handlers whose dogs specialize in body recoveries: What's in your freezer? BTW, in public we call them scent articles for training purposes.
Kraneia The Dancing Dryad 1 year ago
I have a confederate flag hat pin. Teeny tiny thing. I'm not holding on to it because of any stupid "history/white pride" garbage. It's one of the few things I have left of my mom's. She died when I was 12. I don't wear it obviously. But I'm keeping it.
Katie Lutesinger 1 year ago
I own a pendant which is a large, sharp canine tooth on a bit of leather. It's quite old and allegedly it's a lion's tooth.
RoanTheMad 1 year ago
I have a heart in a jar. It's from either a pig or a sheep (a pig, I think) but I've convinced a few people that it's human lmao. (dw, it was ethically sourced, I know of places that do taxidermies and things like this. xP) I also have several animal skulls, mostly birds, etc that I have put in jars with dried flowers so they're pretty x3
PotatoNinja5000 1 year ago (edited)
I was tempted by the wet specimens but ended up going with a plasticised taxidermy one. Everyone needs a conversation piece, and apparently that was what mine was meant to be 😐 I always tell people it's human was well!
Load More Replies...
Marie Dahme 1 year ago
I have a piece, not very big….from the Berlin Wall. Came down November 1989. And I like to think that David Hasselhoff stood on my piece when he sang. Lol
dReZ bEeZ 1 year ago (edited)
I found an old metal condom box from gad I forget what year, it was a few years ago when I found it. 2016? well it was in behind plaster walls with the wood running lengthways across the wall the way the did back then. and yup they were sheepskin. and nope I can't prove it as the box was empty. idk why he hid it in the wall behind slats and plaster. oh ya. there was also an empty headache remedy too. guess he had a good night!
Melissa 1 year ago
My grandfather worked in parks and rec and collected anything he found. There's a hanging portrait of Elijah Muhammad in his belongings, controversial Nation of Islam leader. My grandfather was a devout Catholic so it's not like he held those views. Also lots of vintage photographs of strangers along with a whites only club membership. Once again not his as he was a brown skinned Latino man.
Amanda Wise 1 year ago (edited)
I have an empty covid vaccine vile. I found it left behind at work which was weird because I do not work in a medical setting whatsoever. I couldn't resist taking home a piece of pandemic history
LynzCatastrophe 1 year ago
Let's see.... my grandfathers collection of cameras that date all the way back to the early 1900s. He was technically born in 1926 but always had an interest in photography, his first camera was from 1914. He also kept them all. However, despite everything from my grandparents, including an ivory mask, my pride and joy is an original lava lamp, one of the first in production. Still works!
memyselfandI 1 year ago
I have a mini alpaca made of real alpaca fur, I’m pretty sure the fur is attached to real skin. It’s adorable and super soft.
Little Wonder 1 year ago
I found a stash of ivory figurines when clearing my aunt's house. I have it all in a box, I think I'm going to bury it.
Monica Hosky 1 year ago
I have a red silk cap for a child with a tag on it I can’t read, but some Russian girls told me was part of a uniform for “Communist Boy Scouts.” I also have a purse made of an (American) badger pelt, which I was told was roadkill but what the f do I know, I just really love badgers so I have it because I’ve never seen a real one.
OneHappyPuppy 1 year ago
I probably shouldn't add to this list... But yeah, I have several illegal and some downright dangerous stuff hanging around my parents' place
GenericPanda09 1 year ago
Put the above comment in completely the wrong place... xd
Load More Replies...
Marcus Lynch 1 year ago
The metal brand from original immigrant relatives who started a ranch in Montana. Apparently the idea of pressing red hot metal into the side of a cows behind to prove that it is yours causes snowflakes to melt these days.
Red Ruffensor 1 year ago
I own a vial of mercury, but haven't played with it for a long time. I also own a copy of Steal This Book, which was banned here in Canada.
Chucky Cheezburger 1 year ago
I have some mercury as well. We have some outdated mercury pressure switches that we are phasing out and I collect all the little vials, cut them open and dump them into a jar.
Load More Replies... that one ace lesbian demigirl 1 year ago
Just another a*****e advertising bot in the comments. Downvote them, please. Or report them. Either works.
James Edwards 1 year ago
But...But I made $60,000 while reading this post, /s
Load More Replies... EvilNob 1 year ago
My family has a human skull. It was for some years at one of the police stations near us and was never identified. We just pretty much went there and asked for it. They were actually happy to get rid of it. So we just adopted him/her/it. Sometimes the local school's art club borrowed it as a model.
Sky Render 1 year ago
Most controversial thing I own is probably my marriage license. I am a gay intersex woman married to a gay transgender woman. That's grounds for murder on several points in far too many places in the world.
Littlemiss 1 year ago
Congratulations, may you have long and happy life together. One day the world will realize that love is love and that's that. I hope to see it in my life time.
Load More Replies... RedBadgerCan'tSwim 1 year ago
I have an ivory statue of an elephant that is ironically missing it's tusks. I'm not 100% sure where it came from, but I think from a great grandparent.
Samantha Martini 1 year ago
Question.. why can't people upload their own photos of these awesome finds they have?! The pictures aren't even of what they are talking about and I assume they didn't even upload them, would have been 10 times more interesting... Or should I say less confusing judging by the comments it seems as if people think that they're the actual pictures 🤔😐
Phoenix the Frog 1 year ago
I have a freemason ring, it is a grand master one. I got it at a thrift store.
Ila Callya 1 year ago
I wouldn't put that one out there, you'll end up on a high frequency list....hackers will find your location, and target you day and night...you're going to love it.
Load More Replies... camille 1 year ago
I own 4 human molars. However, they're mine, when I got braces they had to be removed and I got to keep them.
Islandchild 1 year ago
My family has a number of ivory statues all dating back to trips grandparents made in the late 60s early 70s. I remember growing up loving them as they were so beautiful and the texture of the ivory was lovely. While I knew what ivory was I didn't know about how it was obtained. Once I worked it out I was horrified. They are still treasured however, for both the childhood memories and the animals that died for them.
marianne eliza 1 year ago (edited)
To fellow K9 handlers whose dogs specialize in body recoveries: What's in your freezer? BTW, in public we call them scent articles for training purposes.
Kraneia The Dancing Dryad 1 year ago
I have a confederate flag hat pin. Teeny tiny thing. I'm not holding on to it because of any stupid "history/white pride" garbage. It's one of the few things I have left of my mom's. She died when I was 12. I don't wear it obviously. But I'm keeping it.
Katie Lutesinger 1 year ago
I own a pendant which is a large, sharp canine tooth on a bit of leather. It's quite old and allegedly it's a lion's tooth.
RoanTheMad 1 year ago
I have a heart in a jar. It's from either a pig or a sheep (a pig, I think) but I've convinced a few people that it's human lmao. (dw, it was ethically sourced, I know of places that do taxidermies and things like this. xP) I also have several animal skulls, mostly birds, etc that I have put in jars with dried flowers so they're pretty x3
PotatoNinja5000 1 year ago (edited)
I was tempted by the wet specimens but ended up going with a plasticised taxidermy one. Everyone needs a conversation piece, and apparently that was what mine was meant to be 😐 I always tell people it's human was well!
Load More Replies... Marie Dahme 1 year ago
I have a piece, not very big….from the Berlin Wall. Came down November 1989. And I like to think that David Hasselhoff stood on my piece when he sang. Lol
dReZ bEeZ 1 year ago (edited)
I found an old metal condom box from gad I forget what year, it was a few years ago when I found it. 2016? well it was in behind plaster walls with the wood running lengthways across the wall the way the did back then. and yup they were sheepskin. and nope I can't prove it as the box was empty. idk why he hid it in the wall behind slats and plaster. oh ya. there was also an empty headache remedy too. guess he had a good night!
Melissa 1 year ago
My grandfather worked in parks and rec and collected anything he found. There's a hanging portrait of Elijah Muhammad in his belongings, controversial Nation of Islam leader. My grandfather was a devout Catholic so it's not like he held those views. Also lots of vintage photographs of strangers along with a whites only club membership. Once again not his as he was a brown skinned Latino man.
Amanda Wise 1 year ago (edited)
I have an empty covid vaccine vile. I found it left behind at work which was weird because I do not work in a medical setting whatsoever. I couldn't resist taking home a piece of pandemic history
LynzCatastrophe 1 year ago
Let's see.... my grandfathers collection of cameras that date all the way back to the early 1900s. He was technically born in 1926 but always had an interest in photography, his first camera was from 1914. He also kept them all. However, despite everything from my grandparents, including an ivory mask, my pride and joy is an original lava lamp, one of the first in production. Still works!
memyselfandI 1 year ago
I have a mini alpaca made of real alpaca fur, I’m pretty sure the fur is attached to real skin. It’s adorable and super soft.
Little Wonder 1 year ago
I found a stash of ivory figurines when clearing my aunt's house. I have it all in a box, I think I'm going to bury it.
Monica Hosky 1 year ago
I have a red silk cap for a child with a tag on it I can’t read, but some Russian girls told me was part of a uniform for “Communist Boy Scouts.” I also have a purse made of an (American) badger pelt, which I was told was roadkill but what the f do I know, I just really love badgers so I have it because I’ve never seen a real one.
OneHappyPuppy 1 year ago
I probably shouldn't add to this list... But yeah, I have several illegal and some downright dangerous stuff hanging around my parents' place
GenericPanda09 1 year ago
Put the above comment in completely the wrong place... xd
Load More Replies... Marcus Lynch 1 year ago
The metal brand from original immigrant relatives who started a ranch in Montana. Apparently the idea of pressing red hot metal into the side of a cows behind to prove that it is yours causes snowflakes to melt these days.
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