Plenty of Pets
What is it about petting a dog that makes it so irresistible? Whether it's a real, furry canine friend or a metal one, people love pets just as much as dogs do, and this adorable statue is proof of that!
As you can see, the dark, outer coating of the statue has been rubbed away after years of people giving this good boy a little love. Petting a fake dog might be a little ridiculous, sure, but you can't deny it's pretty cute too!
Teddy Bear Wear and Tear
They may be a hotbed for germs and all sorts of other childhood grossness, but kids just straight-up love stuffed animals. Every kid needs a teddy bear, and it's adorable when kids love them past the point of repair.
Clearly, the bear on the left has had a long, happy life with some kid that loved it a lot. He may be in need of a fur transplant and a neck brace, but this bear looks exactly like one should after years of use.
Crossword Crazy
Crossword puzzles might not be as popular as they once were, but there are still plenty of dedicated fans who try their best to fill in every box in every puzzle they come across. Some, though, are much more dedicated than others.
According to a Reddit post, this clipboard was used to do the newspaper crossword puzzles for years...and it shows! That black box in the corner is a testament to how many hours were spent pondering those crossword clues!
Sharp Sharpening Skills
If properly cared for, a knife can last you a lifetime. A few minutes with a sharpening stone, and a dull, crappy knife can cut again like it's brand new! However, even knives have to be retired eventually.
It may still be sharp, but clearly, this knife has seen better days. It's kind of amazing that it could be used so much that it's been sharpened to half of its former self, but it's possible, apparently! This knife has definitely served its user faithfully, but come on, it's time for a new one!
So Many Staples
No, this isn't some terrifying swarm of bugs that have completely enveloped a telephone pole. In fact, they're not even human at all. This is what happens to a pole after decades of having posters stapled to it.
At a certain point, you'd think that people would just pick a new pole, but that wasn't the case. And now we've got a telephone pole that's more staple than wood! Hopefully, everyone posting missing pet posters here found them!
Rugged Rug
To say that this rug is threadbare would be an understatement! You can barely tell that there's a rug there at all. It looks like if one more person tries to wipe their feet on it, it will vanish into the ether entirely!
We have no idea how many years it takes for a rug to turn basically invisible, but we bet this thing has been there for more than a decade. A new rug might be more practical, but it wouldn't look as cool as this!
Ping Pong Paint
How much damage could a puny little ping pong ball do to a paint job? As crazy as it seems, millions of hits over the course of decades can basically strip wood bare! It's not the most efficient way to strip paint, but it gets the job done...eventually.
According to the Reddit user who posted the image, this ping pong table has been at the same location for almost 20 years at this point. It's clearly seen plenty of heated ping pong matches over the years!
The Ancient Key
We don't really think about it much, but every time you turn the key in your car, it's technically making it just the tiniest bit smoother and duller. If you're trading in cars every few years, you'll probably never notice, but if you keep yours around for a while, this becomes more noticeable.
The Reddit user who posted this image says that this well-worn key is for their 1999 Honda Civic, and that, and I quote, "If I take a corner too fast it falls out and the car stays running." Sounds super safe!
These Bills Don't Stack Up
There's nothing better than a crisp, new dollar bill. Old, worn money may spend just as well as the new bills, but it's clear to see the major visual differences between the two when compared side by side.
We're not entirely sure how dollar bills manage to magically grow larger with more use, but it's clear to see that the new bills take up about half as much space as the old ones. They're more space efficient, and you don't have to worry about all the grubby-handed strangers who touched them before you!
The Waves of Time
Erosion isn't something that just happens overnight, but if you give Mother Nature long enough, she can do some pretty impressive and crazy things. This is especially true when it comes to saltwater—which is five times more corrosive than fresh water.
This top-heavy rock is real-life proof that time changes everything. It will probably take decades, if not a century or more, but eventually, this formation is headed for collapse!
The "Antique" Keyboard
Time changes everything...but not always for the better! While some of these images have been fascinating and awe-inspiring, this one is just gross! Not everything needs to be posted on the internet!
According to the Reddit user who shared this image, he has no idea how old his keyboard actually is. To which we say, "Get a new keyboard!" This grimy, old thing is probably home to all sorts of dust, debris, and germs!
Smooth Silver Dollar
We imagine that kids these days are probably just as confused about the coin on the left as they are about the coin on the right! Though rarely seen anymore, these are silver dollar coins that were originally minted from 1878 to 1904.
According to the Reddit user sharing this, the coin on the right has been rubbed smooth after more than six decades in his pocket. At this point, is it even usable anymore? How can you even tell what denomination it originally was?
Burned by Ms. Pac-Man
While technology has gotten better over the years at preventing it, burn-in is basically a death sentence for any sort of monitor or display. Old models were especially prone to this kind of damage.
However, in this case, burn-in has left us with a pretty interesting relic from the past. This Ms. Pac-Man arcade machine entertained users for so long that burn-in has left us with an almost perfect image of the game on the screen.
Security Breach
Sometimes time changes things for the better, but in this case, time has created a major security issue! I wonder which numbers could possibly be in the PIN for this door lock? It's definitely time for a replacement.
What makes the wear and tear on this keypad particularly crazy is what the door leads to. According to the Reddit user who posted this, it's the lock for a medication room at a hospital. How has nobody noticed this is a problem yet?
Smooth Balls
Even if you're terrible at the real sport, mini-golf is fun for the whole family. We assumed that these courses replace their balls from time to time, but we had no idea how much wear and tear they actually go through.
According to the Reddit user who posted this image, these are putt-putt golf balls that have been worn down over time thanks to the steam cleaning they go through. Apparently, those dimples are actually pretty important for a golf ball—the smoothed-down balls are much more difficult to control.
Coke Through the Years
It's about as easy to find Coca-Cola in the United States as it is water! This behemoth brand has been around for more than a century at this point, and during that time they've continued to produce the sugary drink that everyone seems to love. However, things looked a bit different in the early days of Coke.
As you can tell from this image, the classic Coke bottle we all associate with the drink has undergone some pretty extreme changes over the years. We were shocked to see that the earliest Coke bottles didn't even have proper bottle caps—they were corked instead! But not matter how you bottle it, one thing remains true—there's nothing more refreshing than a nice, cold Coke!
Favorite Slippers
We get that people have specific garments and other wearables that they love the most. However, this image might be taking things to ridiculous levels! This pair of house slippers that a Reddit user shared has definitely seen better days. We don't care how comfy they are—those things belong in the trash!
We do like how these slippers seem to have terrifying faces on the bottom now, but is that really enough to keep them around? Sometimes it's best not to try to fight time and just go with the flow...and a new pair of slippers!
Special Spoon
Not every family heirloom has to be fine china or other dazzling pieces. Sometimes, the best things from our ancestors are those things that clearly got a lot of love and use. And that's exactly what's going on in this picture shared on Reddit. This isn't your ordinary old spoon!
According to the poster, this spoon belonged to their grandmother and has been worn down on one side thanks to years of stirring. It's hard to believe that food could have such a visible impact on something as hard as metal, but as we all know, time changes everything, even if it is slow to change!
Watch Your Step
One person walking up a flight of stairs isn't going to do much, but when you compound all that walking over the course of decades and centuries, those steps start to add up! According to the user who posted this to Reddit, these stone stairs have been around since the Victorian era.
During the time since their construction, countless people have walked up and down the stairs, and as you can see, all that weight has started to take its toll. Some of these steps have been worn down so much that they appear to have shrunk by inches! Give them another 100 years and they might no longer be around at all.
Beaten Boots
When people call them "steel-toe boots," that's not just marketing fluff—this heavy-duty footwear is actually filled with a good amount of metal to protect your toes from all sorts of workplace hazards. However, as sturdy as they may be, even the strongest boots wear out over time.
What's truly shocking about this particular pair is how quickly time (and hard work) was able to wear them down. According to the Reddit user who posted this image, he works in the HVAC industry and has gone through three pairs of these boots in three years!
Worn and Watery
Humans frequently try to keep the ravages of time at bay, and that's exactly what's going on in this image. According to the user who posted the picture to Reddit, these are part of a coastal defense structure meant to minimize the effects of erosion on the land caused by sea water.
However, even our defenses against time can be worn down by it! As you can see in the image, the defense wall itself has started to erode as well. This picture just proves that, while we may be able to keep time at bay for a short period, it always comes back with a vengeance.
A Door to Nowhere
Even fake objects are no match for the changes of time. This image of a fake door at IKEA was shared on Reddit, and it appears that people can't resist the urge to try and open this cardboard cutout. We have to admit that this thing would look pretty real if we weren't paying attention.
However, now that the cardboard is covered in scratches from other people, why do folks keep falling for this phony door? A good rule of thumb is this—everything in IKEA is a fake display, and nothing is real. Your senses can't be trusted in this mysterious store!
Stamped Out
This image shows how time changes everything in more ways than one! Honestly, we're just shocked that these adjustable date stampers actually still exist. Most professionals who use them (we're looking at you, librarians!) have long since switched to digital ways of date-keeping.
However, someone is still using these stampers, as evidenced by how ink-stained and well-worn this old one has become over time! Even the gears between the different parts of the date have started to be worn smooth too. It may be worn down, but it looks like it will be keeping up with the date for years to come!
Tickling the Ivories
These days, it seems like the things we buy break way too quickly. However, it's clear that people in the past definitely wanted to build things that could last a lifetime...and then some! According to the Reddit user who posted this image, these are keys from an organ constructed in the 1850s.
While these keys may have held up admirably over the years, it's still obvious to see that time has taken its toll on them. As unbelievable as it may sound, these bumps and divots have been caused by people pressing the keys so much over the years. They may be a little warped now, but they still play beautifully!
Pillow Problems
This photo proves that not every change that time makes is a fascinating one—sometimes those changes are just downright gross! This is not so much an image about the ravages of time as it is a photo about the importance of buying new pillows.
According to the user who posted the photo to Reddit, the pillow on the right is from a nighttime drooler after a year of use. We don't know how someone managed to slobber over the entire thing, and honestly, we'd rather not find out! It might be time to throw your own pillows in the washing machine!