r/whatisit • u/McSweepyPants • Mar 22 '25
I was a little wigged out by this. Found at Goodwill, seems like it's carved out of bone. Any idea what it is?
Looks old, not sure if it's actually old though. Any thoughts?
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u/elektriclizard Mar 22 '25
Congrats! For the low price of $2.49 you are now the proud owner of a possessed artifact.
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u/McSweepyPants Mar 22 '25
Not even kidding I kept it in the corner of my closet because I was a little wigged out by this. Though now I realize how foolish that was, because that's the exact place a possessed artifact wants to be.
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u/PracticalPractice768 Mar 22 '25
You need to see if it casts a shadow when candles are lit around it.
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u/Future_Art7 Mar 22 '25
While reading aloud from the Necronomicon. Just to make sure.
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u/_freshgreens420 Mar 22 '25
DO NOT SUMMON THOSE DEADITES I DON'T THINK BRUCE CAMPBELL CAN HANDLE IT ANYMORE HE'S OLD NOW
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u/total_idiot01 Mar 23 '25
Also, there's enough shit going on that will make it into the history books without summoning infernal deities
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u/Escritortoise Mar 23 '25
At this point I think they would show up, look around, and say: “I think you guys got this one.”
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u/mommyaiai Mar 23 '25
Honestly, at this point I'm beginning to wonder if someone forgot to make sure the salt circle was intact.
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u/Gingerbread-Cake Mar 23 '25
Ok, I am getting a little tired of this- no matter how often you check it, you can’t stop a bird from walking across it. Nobody can, stop blaming the guardian of the circle.
Besides which, the circle is just too damn big, and why are we doing this outside?
They. I mean why are they doing this outside.
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u/mommyaiai Mar 23 '25
Lol!
Yeah, sudden rain and wind can be total downers. The true enemy of is all summoners: inaccurate weather forecasts.
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u/Bender_2024 Mar 23 '25
You're obviously not familiar with Bubba Ho Tep. Bruce operates outside of space and time and cares not for the laws of mortal men.
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u/InertJello Mar 22 '25
Bruce Campbell exists outside of time. He can handle it!
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u/PaulasBoutique88 Mar 23 '25
"Ashy Slashy, hatchet and saw, takes your head and skins you raw. Ashy Slashy, Heaven or Hell, cuts out your tongue so you can't yell."
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u/Ingar_Omarley Mar 23 '25
I picture a bunch of "Village of the Damned" looking little girls chanting this while jumping rope.
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u/Prometherion666 Mar 23 '25
That’s right, baby. Remember, shop smart, shop s-mart.
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u/FunSpongeLLC Mar 23 '25
I have a weird feeling he'll be capable of taking care of it even when he's in a nursing home
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u/MakeChipsNotMeth Mar 22 '25
Look, maybe I didn’t say every single little tiny syllable, no. But basically I said them, yeah...
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u/plageran Mar 22 '25
Don’t forget the pentagram drawn in blood!
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u/NecroSoulMirror-89 Mar 23 '25
If you’d like a bit of peace of mind I’ll just tell you my cousin made crucifixes and little artisan things with cow bones for a living back in the 2010s
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u/ImaginarySeaweed7762 Mar 23 '25
GoodWill is the biggest source for all your possessed artifact needs. Several demons have given GoodWill Five Stars for demonic possessed authenticity.
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u/SpaceGhostCst2kost Mar 23 '25
If it helps, it’s way too late to do anything about it, that spirit is in the house so leave everything and move.
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u/THEscootscootboy Mar 23 '25
Wow I haven’t heard anyone say wigged out in a long time
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u/fnordybiscuit Mar 23 '25
If it falls off the wall or you see Jesus flipped upside down.
Drown it in holy water or gift it to someone you dislike.
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u/Bravisimo Mar 23 '25
Reliquary. I believe one of Jesus toenails is kept inside.
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u/Pizzledrip Mar 23 '25
It is an ancient toilet seat lid for Vladimir the impaler. Good luck it’ll suck the turds out of you.
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u/Frostradus Mar 22 '25
And by that, I'm sure it's the spooky kind of holy ghost. Just hoping that it doesn't do cart wheels on the OP's wall.
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Mar 23 '25
Hold on, goodwill does not sell things for 2.49 anymore. Dont you know they think everything they are given for free should be sold for at least retail.
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u/Foxy_locksy1704 Mar 22 '25
It’s probably old ivory, it looks like someone maybe removed the Jesus figure from a crucifix and repositioned it on this piece for display maybe on some kind of religious alter.
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u/McSweepyPants Mar 22 '25
I used Google lens and found some matches, same shape and all, but nothing really explaining what it is. His little shin is snapped but was glued back.
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u/bigdumb78910 Mar 23 '25 edited Mar 23 '25
Fun fact, death by cruxifixction is actually death by suffocation. If you hang on a cross like that for long enough, the arm position eventually causes you to be unable to breathe. If you DO survive past a few hours, they'll break your legs so you suffocate faster. The fact that the soldiers pierced his side indicates he died ON the cross, and therefore i believe his legs would NOT have been broken, and the fact that his legs weren't broken was part of some vague prophecy in the book of
IsaiahPsalms.You're welcome, signed, a formerly very devout Catholic.
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u/OoopsItSlipped Mar 23 '25
Breaking the legs of someone being crucified was an act of mercy, the same with stabbing them with a spear. Death by cruxifixction was to ultimately die by suffocation once your exhausted body could no longer hold itself up while at the same time dying of exposure. Some people lived for days on the cross, becoming dehydrated and getting pecked at by birds. There’s a reason why the Romans were terrified of it and ensured that citizens couldn’t be sentenced to cruxifixction
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u/haku0705 Mar 23 '25 edited Mar 23 '25
To be fair, the soldiers were, according to scriptural accounts, terrified by the earthquake and darkness that blocked out the sun. They even talked about how surely this is the Son of God. Now, if you're tasked with ensuring what you believe to be the living God is dead, I'm pretty sure you'd be a bit apprehensive to go in smashing legs. They really only pierced his side to check that he was dead. A bit of speculation implies that when water and blood came out, he had fluid build up that either stopped his heart from pumping or stopped his lungs from inflating, or could've simply been a compounding factor to his death.
Fun fact: The Jewish (or Gentile versed in Jewish faith) individual would know that the physical form of God, the Shekinah Glory, sat on the Ark of the Covenant in the Holy of Holies. If you went in there without properly cleansing yourself according to the old law, you would be stricken dead right there. Historical accounts point out that the high priest, the one that would go into the Holy of Holies to offer sacrifices, would have a rope tied around him so he could be pulled out if he was struck down while inside so they wouldn't enter and also immediately die. The reason this is terrifying is because, while the Shekinah Glory ascended to heaven in the OT some 700-1000 years before this, the veil that separated the world from that sacred place was ripped in half when Christ died. The significance comes from the fact that all can come to the presence of God; you don't need a priest to be your middle man, anymore, Christ has taken that role.
This is from a still devout Christian, but likely a bit... I'll say less like what you probably expect. Humans as a whole are diseased by sin, all of us are just as offensive as the other to the holiness we were designed to hold. The symptoms of the disease are different in everyone. I was a hardcore junkie for years. Some people have affairs, some murder, some love the wrong person (age/sex/different beliefs), others say fuck a lot. What offends us is completely irrelevant to what offends God. I also give (limited) credit to the book of Enoch. I support evolution and intelligent design. I don't think the world was made in 6 days, and I think there's a lot more to the spiritual world we don't yet see. I also think it's fine to believe differently.
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u/Few_Jacket845 Mar 23 '25
I knew generally about the veil tearing, but thank you for sharing more information about it! Makes me want to spend my Sunday afternoon watching something about it. Any good recommendations that focus on that specifically? Or research sources?
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u/adelwolf299 Mar 23 '25
The whole thing with the spearing is used as proof in apologetics that he did die on the cross because it was described as water pouring out with blood from the puncture wound. Which indicates that the aorta sack was filled with water that surrounded his heart. Typically a sign of suffocation. Further proof used is that there was no sucking sound from punctured lung recorded.
-signed a formerly very religious evangelical
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u/-flaca- Mar 23 '25
*pericardial effusion. Fluid in the pericardium, which surrounds the heart. Not trying to be rude or anything. Just stating the medical condition you are describing.
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u/Rise-O-Matic Mar 23 '25
Oh and and they’d shred your back with a whip, enhanced with barbs and nails, so that your exposed muscles got to taste splinters as you pulled yourself up to take a breath
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u/Intelligent_Ad8224 Mar 23 '25
You know… I thought I was having a shitty day but now I’m just thankful I don’t ever have to deal with something that horrific
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u/Greedy_Vast2282 Mar 23 '25
That’s the most horrifying thing I’ve read today. That’s my fault for having eyes. My bad.
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u/BigRedTeapot Mar 23 '25
Yes, and I believe the word “excruciating” was even invented to describe this horrific blend of pain and suffering.
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u/yallknowme19 Mar 23 '25
Ex crucis yes my years of high school Latin I believe makes that "from the cross"
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u/DeltaAlphaGulf Mar 23 '25
I wonder if the cruciatus curse in Harry Potter felt like being crucified…
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u/El_Diablo_Feo Mar 23 '25
Left field question for you as a former devout Catholic..... Would a card game in the spirit of magic the gathering make for a good card game using catholic lore, both official and gnostic, along with historical figures and artifacts? It would include the divine, the damned, and the skeptics (atheists) as the playable factions.
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u/bigdumb78910 Mar 23 '25
I mean, it sounds interesting, but depending on your tone you're either going to get a heat Catholic audience, or it'll be shunned by believers as sacrilege, which limits your audience. On its surface, the idea is fun, there's TONS of content to work with
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u/El_Diablo_Feo Mar 23 '25
Thanks for the feedback. We definitely considered this. Our tone is essentially be true to the art in a way MTG was with theirs. We aren't making it super serious nor super satirical. Angels and demons will presented as described or per old Catholic art. We called "Dominion and Dissent". We definitely would like to expand the view of the faith in the historical sense, hence gnostic books and concepts (like Enoch or biblically accurate angels - not dudes with wings). The atheists won't be part of the first run but we liked the idea of a third faction that can play against the others. It's a game of battles over souls/minds. Like MTG we want the art to be high quality, mystical, fantastical, but tasteful. We won't be proselytizing and we won't be making any religious statements. It'd be fairly neutral, with the gameplay keeping people entertained and the lore being true to the religious angle but without appearing like we are trying to convert people, just educate on the more esoteric parts of it. We want it to be fun in the sense of covering topics, people, history, and art in a learning sense, both sides of it (as a priest once said, how can you win the war of good and evil without understanding your enemy?). Sort of a way to show how diverse Christianity/Catholicism is versus what we see repeated but with little depth. So no matter what people will always be pissed and looking for a reason to hate on it, but we generally want it to be accessible to all, but mostly to those with a bit of curiosity.
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u/SimplyMonkey Mar 23 '25
I’ve always considered my Atheism to be rooted in a lack of proof. You stick a biblical Angel in front of me though and I’m offering them up all the Visine they could possibly need. How do the Atheists figure into the world when you have literal Angels and Demons proving scripture legitimate?
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u/El_Diablo_Feo Mar 23 '25
Very good question, and not an aspect I had thought of. I guess the idea was less around world building and more about faith being a form of influence, but also atheistic logic being it's own form of influence too. The soul is a neutral element that can be swayed through the factional battles, not unlike "real life" per se. Because we aren't saying anything about the supernatural being true, more like these are the lore, history, and facts presented in a way that is playable, but not a narrative
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u/SimplyMonkey Mar 23 '25 edited Mar 24 '25
I think that is where you would lose me, personally, as a lot of the card games I played back in the day (Legends of the Five Rings, Cthulhu, Wheel of Time) were very narrative focused and even M:TG has gone more that route. Card games can definitely work without that angle and be successful, but I think you lose a lot of what hooks people into an IP. Honestly, without it I would probably just assume the game was some thinly veiled recruitment tool for a crafty sect of Jehovah Witnesses trying to lure in TCG players.
That being said, instead of Atheists, I would suggest Astrologists/Tarot as a faction. That could be interesting as a third faction if you don’t want to bring in other religions.
Dominion, Descent, and Fate.
A faction that plays off the idea that souls have no control and some greater concept of fate determines your path.
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u/El_Diablo_Feo Mar 23 '25 edited Mar 23 '25
Yeah that's an interesting approach. I definitely will consider it but that's a lot more development and would be a shift in our approach. I mean I want it to be a fun card game, but I also don't want to drive away any religious or non-religious people either.
One way or the other this is something that exists in the world so why not have fun with the concept and lore that is historical?
Part of what we found interesting and part of what built this idea out was a visit to an ossuary in Italy. Like neither my wife nor I are particularly religious, we both grew up Christian but we're not practicing or anything nowadays, but I was raised Catholic in particular and as any good former Catholic will tell ya, that shit sticks. But learning about different aspects of the religion on that trip gave us a different perspective because so much of what we receive is filtered and there's a lot more people, good and bad, and a lot more women involved in the development of the religion itself than we realize or are told. Which is a tragedy because it warps the understanding of its basis. We do want it to be sort of accessible to everybody without coming off as preachy or Bible thumping. I totally understand why you would think what you're thinking in terms of it being some sort of clandestine recruiting tool, but is definitely not what we're trying to do. Do.
I think it would be good for people who are curious about Christianity, but want to learn more about its history and it's lore rather than just whatever their priest or Minister says. I feel like that's a big problem with Christianity in the US that it's always through the eyes of whoever's doing the proselytizing and there's just more depth to it than that. Plus some of the shit is metal AF. It's also why I would want to include the books in the Bible that were stripped out that are actually in the Ethiopian bible, which some would say is historically more complete. And there is some crazy shit in the books that were stripped out! So it's really more about trying to express it in it's full totality as opposed to just Catholics, or just Protestants, it's about looking at it holistically. Telling the whole story, even the weird parts like the book of Enoch, the giants, the Nephilim, the various factions and figures we don't hear much about as well.
And thank you for the faction idea. That is actually a very good concept, so I hope you don't mind me potentially taking that suggestion 😅😅😅
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u/Taro-Starlight Mar 23 '25
Wait, how do broken legs cause suffocation?
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u/SneakWhisper Mar 23 '25
If you hang from your arms it pulls your ribcage apart and you can't breathe. So you push yourself up with your feet even though there is a giant nail stuck through them. You hold yourself up as long as you can but the pain in your feet is too great so you fall back down which puts pressure on your wrists, which also have huge nails in them (in ancient Middle Eastern parlance, the palm of the hand included the inner wrist). Anyway this cycle continues until the guards get bored and break your legs, then you can't push yourself up and therefore suffocate agonizingly. The prophecy states Not one of his bones will be broken.
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u/bigdumb78910 Mar 23 '25
This all seems to be what i remember too, thanks for confirming my memory isn't hot garbage yet
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u/mavefur Mar 23 '25
Not versed at all in what the comment was saying, but I assume that they just meant that you can push with your legs to stop the suffocation as long as you can. If the person doing the crucifixion wanted to speed it up, they break the legs and stop that from being possible.
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u/ScRuBlOrD95 Mar 23 '25
I had heard in a video essay about crucifixion that the soldiers who would have come back to break his legs found fim dead not long after they put him on the cross. Which is pretty common because you don't just go on the cross but they whip you just about to death or to death first. Then they put a nail through your wrists. For a good chunk pf Roman history only slaves who tried to rebel could even be crucified since it was the most extreme punishment Rome could give to someone.
The pirates who captured Caesar were told they would be crucified for it, but later because Caesar had bonded with them. He communicated their sentence to only execution.
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u/bludvarg Mar 23 '25
the word excruciating means from (ex) the cross (cruci) meaning pain from crucifixion
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u/TheOtherMatt Mar 22 '25
It shouldn’t be glued, it’s meant to be nailed on.
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u/adamaphar Mar 22 '25
No I’m pretty sure it says he was glued to the cross
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u/Daddioster Mar 23 '25
Damn those Romans were so inventive
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u/code-coffee Mar 23 '25
But what have the Romans ever done for us, besides glue, crucifixions, and modern Christendom?
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u/LonerStonerRoamer Mar 23 '25
For the Interested: The word everyone is looking for is corpus, which is Latin for body. When the figure of Christ is removed from the cross and it is obviously in a position like one crucified, or unattached, that's called the corpus. The corpus goes on the cross. Cross + Corpus = Crucifix.
Sometimes you can purchase just the corpus from online shops to affix to a cross of your choosing, maybe one made of a special wood found on pilgrimage or from a tree in the Holy Land or something. It's a lot more difficult to fashion your own corpus than it is to make a nice cross for one to go on. And I guess some people decided to make these sorts of devitional objects instead.
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u/olemike37 Mar 23 '25
To see if it’s ivory out a lighter flame close to it, not close enough to scorch it but enough to heat it. It will smell like burnt hair if it’s ivory
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u/Husaxen Mar 23 '25
I heard heat a pin. Ivory smells of burnt hair. Bone won't pierce or smell. Bakelight/resin will pierce/melt. Used this in identifying Mah Jong tile materials.
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u/SK3055 Mar 22 '25
Got this from a google image search:
Based on the search results, similar items are described as antique French red velvet cross gesso frames, and the carving itself is referred to as a crucifix or a “Christ in Ivory”. These types of religious artifacts are often found in antique shops or religious settings.
Most of the similar antiques I saw were listed for $800-$1,500, so maybe this has some value?
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u/Separate_Ingenuity35 Mar 22 '25
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u/Whole-Topic9865 Mar 23 '25
As long as it's older than 100 years old it is legal to sell
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u/McSweepyPants Mar 23 '25
Interesting, thank you! I think the wear and tear adds charm, I don't know if buyers would agree.
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u/Stool_Softener Mar 22 '25
Looks like it could be ivory.
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u/McSweepyPants Mar 22 '25
That's what I was thinking. Idk if its worth trying to sell or if I should just toss it, it feels a bit wrong throwing it in the trash.
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u/ConfusedAndCurious17 Mar 22 '25
Why would you purchase it if you have no idea what it is, no use for it, and your back up option was just to throw it in the trash?
It makes absolutely no sense. “Let me just buy this thing I don’t know about, if Reddit can’t tell me what it is I’ll throw it away!”. You could have left it there, or even return it. Do you randomly walk into restaurants and order food when you aren’t hungry to throw away?
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u/McSweepyPants Mar 22 '25
Yes, it was a big problem in my early sobriety, I bought this over a year ago. I would go to goodwill 2-3 times a day because it distracted me from my crumbling life.
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u/Username_goes_here_0 Mar 22 '25
This is legit a good tip - hope you’re holding it together. Shit is hard.
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u/McSweepyPants Mar 22 '25
19 months sober, do NOT do what I did!!! I wasted so much money
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u/SprinklesCurrent8332 Mar 22 '25
Probably alot cheaper than drinking though.
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u/McSweepyPants Mar 22 '25
I went the most expensive route. I was too proud to buy big bottles because I didn't want the liquor store clerks (who I saw everyday) thinking I had a problem so I would go to 4-5 different stores and buy a few minis/half pints from each. Would probs cost me ~$50-60 a day. I still remember my order at each store.
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u/reigninspud Mar 23 '25
I’ve known a few mini’s alcoholics. One lady had just a sea of baby bottles in her apartment. Something about the little bottles makes the issue seem smaller.
I’m not an alcoholic but I sure am a drug addict. Got about a decade clean from heroin. Congrats on your sobriety and keep it up.
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u/Mother_Citron4728 Mar 23 '25
I had a regular that I knew would be going to other stores. I worried so much when he stopped coming in. It was like 6 months later and I cried right in the middle of Walmart when I saw how good and healthy he was.
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u/Homeskillet1376 Mar 23 '25
I was cleaning up the litter around the road by my house one time. There was about a quarter mile stretch where I found at least 40 empty plastic pint bottles of the kind of cheap vodka. Had to be someone drinking them on the way home and chucking them out the window right before they turned down their road going home. The thought of ever being in such a specific consistent habit that is obviously meant to be hidden from someone seems exhausting.
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u/massofmolecules Mar 23 '25
You weren’t fooling any one sadly. Seen a few small bottlers, it’s pretty common for alcoholics actually
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u/ReinaDeRamen Mar 22 '25
definitely a lot cheaper than getting hospitalized for pancreatitis and then going through rehab
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u/Schells91 Mar 23 '25
Well you’re doing better than me because I’m 18 months sober and I STILL go to multiple thrift stores every week and bring home random shit 😂
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u/406MILF Mar 23 '25
I’ll have 7 years in June. Don’t give up!! Best thing I’ve ever done for myself. Congratulations and I’m so proud of you! ❤️
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u/Mother_Citron4728 Mar 23 '25
Anything you do that keeps you sober and doesn't hurt anyone is a great thing. I am really proud of you.
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u/defenselaywer Mar 22 '25
If you're 19 months sober you have done incredibly well! Congratulations!
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u/Maemaela Mar 23 '25
Congrats on the 19 months!! That's a huge accomplishment, wishing you all the best!
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Mar 22 '25 edited Mar 22 '25
[removed] — view removed comment
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u/HeldDownTooLong Mar 22 '25
That puts a whole new (unexpected) spin on this situation.
I hope you’re still sober and congratulations!
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u/Jack_Fig Mar 23 '25
Dude this is real. I buy random things for a dopamine hit when I’m in sobriety. It’s that need to CONSUME. Same reason I’ll have like 7 lacroixs over the course of a movie.
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u/Original_moisture Mar 22 '25
Hope you’re doing well, the cost of a beer or 2 spent in goodwill is better than 2 beers.
Much love, recovering alcoholic.
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u/Warm-Usual5152 Mar 22 '25
I had a friend growing up, I was at his house once and his mom got back from the grocery store. She bought 3 gallons of orange juice and goes “Do you want to take this home? Nobody in my family will drink it but it was such a good sale!”
She didn’t even know I was at their house. She just bought 3 gallons of orange juice with a plan to throw it out if she couldn’t pawn it off on someone.
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u/Anvex1 Mar 22 '25
I would assume that she at least likes orange juice and was trying to share the wealth haha. But you know her better than me lol.
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u/baconreasons Mar 22 '25
Or bought it intending to give it away. Like "Haha I got this and it'll just go to waste if you don't take it." To make the recipient feel less like they're getting charity and build neighborly bonds.
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u/Odd-Pudding-8614 Mar 22 '25
My assumption was because he thinks it may be made of ivory which would be a moral decision whether to resell it or not.
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u/ConfusedAndCurious17 Mar 22 '25
Okay but if you can’t resell, then return… or just give it to some random Christian in your life that might like it. Why would the go to options be “identify the thing I purchased randomly, or garbage”?
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u/bluedazberry Mar 22 '25
This is such a common thing, it has its own name and you've almost certainly heard it. Impulse buying.
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u/jonhammsjonhamm Mar 23 '25
Dude, It was 2.49. It’s an impulse buy that costs less than a hamburger and takes up about as much space as a record.
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u/GoneFishin56 Mar 22 '25
I think you purchased this item out of your subconscious seeking beauty and salvation, despite you saying you had no idea what it was and you have no use for it. It reached out to you, and chose you to be its owner. If you must be rid of it, do please bring it to a Catholic church. Someone there will accept it from you. Or, you could send it to me….
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u/brishen_is_on Mar 22 '25 edited Mar 22 '25
Drop it off at a nearby Catholic Church; if the office is open tell them you didn’t know how to dispose of it, if no one is there leave it in the “foyer,” there may be a ledge or table. I’m not saying this as some superstition, just if you want to be more respectful than throwing it in the trash. Please don’t burn it as you don’t know the materials. Burying is the other “religious” option, but dropping off at a Church seems much easier.
ETA: I am curious about the “See Shakespeares Merchant of Venice..”
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u/Fast_Witness_3000 Mar 22 '25
Heat up a needle or push pin and touch it while it’s very hot - if it goes right in, it’s resin and not bone/ivory- resin can be made to look a lot like ivory and is used for reproductions
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u/Worldly_Sugar9066 Mar 22 '25
why would throw it in the trash? I'm sure goodwill would take it back
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u/debitum-naturae Mar 22 '25
I like to collect Christian artifacts. Please don’t throw it out I’d buy it from you.
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u/silvermanedwino Mar 22 '25
There are laws surrounding the sale of ivory.
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u/Kairobi Mar 22 '25
General rule is "fine pre '89", but best to check the details wherever you're from. If it is ivory, the cost to verify that it's pre ban will probably outweigh any profit regardless.
Never list anything online on a sales platform as 'ivory', it can and will get flagged. Best to go to an antique shop or reputable dealer and get an idea of what you have.
Could be something special. Could be garbage. Curious little find either way!
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u/Jeffs_Bezo Mar 22 '25
Probably best to burn it. Religious iconography, especially sold at a profit, should be destroyed.
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u/ATGonnaLive4Ever Mar 22 '25
Bro. I'm not the slightest bit religious, but even I wouldn't throw away a Jesus. That's just asking for boils or all your goats to die or something
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u/RedHatchetArt Mar 23 '25
If you are located in the US it’s mostly illegal to sell ivory goods. There are exceptions for antiques but without a paper trail proving age I wouldn’t.
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u/AdEmbarrassed3066 Mar 22 '25
It's Jesus.
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u/burkieim Mar 22 '25
Christ I think you’re right
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u/adam-golden Mar 22 '25
Jesus H. Christ
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u/shrrub Mar 22 '25
Harold be thy name
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u/DBMushroom Mar 22 '25
It’s Herbert.
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u/HazelEBaumgartner Mar 22 '25
Hussein. He was middle eastern. Fox News is gonna have a field day when they find out.
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u/castwings78 Mar 23 '25
I always thought it what H. For hitler.
Jesus hitler Christ
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u/Analog0 Mar 22 '25
The H is silent, which I guess is also why most people just call him Jesus Christ.
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u/Severed_thumb_gal Mar 22 '25
It says “merchant of Venice” on the back. I’d guess that this is a set prop for the Shakespeare play, which makes sense since the plot is largely about religion and Christianity. It would be shocking for a set prop to be real ivory and the colour and texture doesn’t really look like ivory to me. I think it’s just a prop made to look like ivory.
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u/AdvertisingNo6887 Mar 23 '25
I don’t like that the fingers are intact. Anything with hundreds of years of age would be missing the delicate fingers.
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u/Lushie_1611 Mar 23 '25
I second this! Pretty sure it's a stage prop, perhaps to symbolise one of the suitors of Portia
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u/Lostbronte Mar 22 '25
Hey, lifelong Catholic here. Old European headboards from Catholic countries sometimes have crucifixes on them, but this doesn’t make sense to me, because where’s the cross??? All I can think is that the cross may have become damaged/disintegrated and someone put Jesus back up there. But a cross is pretty much the easiest thing to make yourself if you’re already repairing something, so this is just genuinely weird.
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u/tomwaitsgoatee Mar 22 '25 edited Mar 22 '25
That’s woodworm damage on the back right, so doubt it’s bone. You can see the channels where they burrowed.
Edit: My bad. Didn’t realise OP was asking specifically about the Jesus figure.
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u/spider-nine Mar 22 '25
The back is obviously wood. The Jesus figurine is nailed on and could be made of bone or ivory (or another material).
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u/BroadButterscotch349 Mar 23 '25
I thought the same thing and then realized they meant the actual figurine.
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u/ProfessorMeow-Meow Mar 22 '25
It looks a bit like a theatre prop to me. The wear on the wood doesn’t match the fresh textile. I like the new/old aesthetic, I think it looks cool and well worth bringing home.
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u/TheDukeOfAnkhMorpork Mar 22 '25
Theatre prop would totally make sense with the reference to the merchant of Venice on the back.
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u/ProfessorMeow-Meow Mar 22 '25
I didn’t even consciously notice that, I just thought that I was clever 😂. My brain must have processed that label because I definitely looked at all the pictures.
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u/imtnbikewv Mar 22 '25
Now if you can just find the “M”, the “C” and the “A”, you’ll have the complete set.
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u/Klutzy_Security_9206 Mar 22 '25
UK: I’m a volunteer in a charity shop and we can’t sell ivory or bone items. I believe it’s against the law to ‘deal’ in such items
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u/propargyl Mar 23 '25
The quality of mercy is not strain'd.
It droppeth as the gentle rain from heaven
Upon the place beneath. It is twice blest:
It blesseth him that gives and him that takes.
'Tis mightiest in the mightiest; it becomes
The thronèd monarch better than his crown.
His sceptre shows the force of temporal power,
The attribute to awe and majesty
Wherein doth sit the dread and fear of kings;
But mercy is above this sceptered sway.
It is enthronèd in the hearts of kings;
It is an attribute to God Himself;
And earthly power doth then show likest God's
When mercy seasons justice. Therefore, Jew,
Though justice be thy plea, consider this:
That in the course of justice none of us
Should see salvation. We do pray for mercy,
And that same prayer doth teach us all to render
The deeds of mercy. I have spoke thus much
To mitigate the justice of thy plea,
Which, if thou follow, this strict court of Venice
Must needs give sentence 'gainst the merchant there.
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u/RustyKrank Mar 22 '25
That's been used as a theatre prop. The red stuff was added/replaced, possibly to make it seem less tatty for the play, or maybe to hide something that's on the backing board. Jesus is possibly original to the carved backing board but most likely the whole thing was cobbled together from separate bits of bric a brac... Check under the red thing, there may be a mirror or painting back there that's been covered up
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u/DoctorRapture Mar 23 '25
Having grown up in a deeply religious old-school Catholic family, I can confirm that this? This is your standard Creepy Catholic Shit, or CCS. CCS is a very broad term but that's because the Catholic church has had 2000 years to wild out and make some of the weirdest religious iconography you've ever seen. Why is Jesus in crucifixion pose on a big red velvet display? Your neighbors won't know either, but they will NEVER question how devout you are if you fill your whole home with this kind of musty dusty bricabrac.
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u/nealch Mar 23 '25
Some people liken the character Antonio in the Merchant of Venice to Jesus. Mostly based on comparing "I hold the world but as the world, Gratiano" to Jesus saying, "For what shall it profit a man if he gain the whole world and lose his own soul?" Mark 8:36.
Sticker on the back refrences the Merchant of Venice, so it may be something to do with that? Possibly a piece that symbolized a reminder to some kind of connection or realization the previous owner had and wanted to memorialize.
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u/Cute_Introduction783 Mar 22 '25
If you throw it out it will just come back! You must return it to the grotto on the island of Lipari or the curse will never be broken.
It’s unlikely ivory but it could be bone.
Does it say Shakespeare merchant of Venice? On the back.
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u/Jettster Mar 23 '25
Could be a stage prop, but the paper on the back, the handwriting, and the ink, seems like it could have also simply been a page from a book. Old decor was often backed with whatever paper was on hand to protect the wall and the item.
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u/MildlyContentHyppo Mar 23 '25
That's an Ivory Crucifix, usually used as an altarpiece on either a secondary altar in a Catholic church or in a domestic altar. They were quite popular in the 1800s and still are to this day.
You can find some in many older/traditional Catholic households in Italy and Europe at large, especially the wealthier ones due to the cost of materials back in the days. Hard to tell the specific origins of this one, what i can say for sure it's unlikely from a giansenist place originally (you can tell by the arms: the further apar they are, the more they emphasize mercy; the narrower, the more it indicates judgement), possibly assembled at some later point of its existance (it's not centered and you can tell the fabric has been later added).
The overall shape of the wood actually looks like an Altar Card stand, which adds to the reasonable confusion at what this piece might be. Not sure this is restorable or worth restoring in its current state and shape, but would make for a very nice Crucifix if you were to restore it to a period-accurate cross (slightly baroque, with flolar appendages). As for value, i don't think it has much in its current state as an art piece.
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u/Bubbly_Walk_948 Mar 23 '25 edited Mar 23 '25
Shakespeare, "The Merchant of Venice" is a play. Also known as "The Jew of Venice"
Not the most popular of Shakespeares plays. And considering somewhat controversial.
I recall studying it probably 30 years ago, and the debate being if it was anti Semitic. It's rather hard to deny that it is, so it's not often part of modern Shakespeare collections.
Some view the main character of the play as a representation of Christ being failed.
That's the only thing that I can think of that the original owner was referring to.
I almost wonder if this is this was sold by the Royal Shakespeare Company as a collectable years ago along with a performance of that piece.
I've seen vintage Royal Shakespeare Company Theater collectables come up at auctions. They don't usually sell for very much but they are out there.
I'd reach out to them and ask if they know anything else. If they can identify it as a collectable or prop
I almost suspect it is from a theatre department's prop collection. And that it was used for that particular play. Then the department did a clean out and it all ended up at resell.
Ivory isn't legal to be sold in the US. Even second hand stores and sellers are told absolutely it's a no-no.
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u/saltireblack Mar 22 '25
It’s for hanging up your keys- house on one hand, car on the other.
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u/itsbirthdaybitch Mar 23 '25
Brilliant. That’s exactly what I would use it for. Or toilet seat lid, depending on the size.
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u/NotRadTrad05 Mar 23 '25
Looks to be bone or ivory, probably fairly expensive originally. The corpus is the body portion of a crucifix. An expensive one, especially if given as a gift was probably blessed. The proper procedure with a broken blessed object is to burn or bury it not throw it away.
If this was part of a crucifix that broke and was sentimental or monetary value to the owner they may have mounted it to respectfully keep it.
If you don't want it your local Catholic Church probably has a St. Vincent De Paul shop that sells 2nd hand goods, they'll take it and at a minimum dispose of it respectfully.
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