30 photos of worn-out items that have an interesting story to share

They say that time and tide wait for no man, and that’s true. Of course, time and tide have another thing in common — they wear things down. If you’ve ever picked up a piece of sea glass on the beach, you know the effect that long years of getting tossed and turned in the water causes. It turns out, time does the exact same thing — in a variety of ways.

Most of us have a fascination with old things. It’s amazing to look at buildings, art, and other objects that have stood in the same place for centuries. You can only imagine how many people have seen them.

But sometimes, the effects of time are seen in little things. You’d never guess how much they leave their mark. It doesn’t even have to be something big. But once those little things add up, the effects left behind are amazing to see.

Sure, time and tide wait for no man, but that doesn’t mean they’re bad. Sometimes, it’s beautiful to see what happens over many years, even in things that don’t seem important! Here are 40 examples that show the effects of time – many in surprising ways.

1. This truck driver’s face shows years of sun exposure on one side

This truck driver’s face shows the effects of years of sun exposure…on one side of his face. Only the left side of the body was facing the window.

2. A difference in teddy bears

This poster and their brother both received the same teddy bear as children. Suffice it to say that one of the teddy bears got a few more snuggles than the other.

3. Damage to the car door after many doggie car rides

This dog clearly has a favorite spot when going on car rides with its owner. Its paws have left a permanent mark on the door from many hours of hanging out the window.

4. Tracking the sun through burn marks on the grass

Every day, this glass globe decoration catches the sunlight and burns a line in the grass, following the exact same path at the exact same time.

5. The tag wore its whole life

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When this poster’s pet dog passed away, they took the vaccination tag it had worn since getting shots as a puppy. This was how it looked after years of hanging on a collar.

6. This good boy has gotten lots of pets

On this beautiful image in Prague, you can see where residents and tourists alike have worn the outer coating away from giving this dog a lot of rubs.

7. Homemade X-ray from moving dumbbells

This poster shared the image of their shoe, which shows a faint image of the bones in their feet after many hours of using them to move dumbbells around.

8. 1984 and censorship

This copy of Orwell’s 1984 became less censored the more it was read and touched. It’s a fitting tribute to the content of the book.

9. Where Kitty has sharpened its claws for 14 years

This table leg is Kitty’s favorite place for a stretch and a claw sharpening. It’s been almost a decade and a half and those deep grooves prove it.

10. The effect of the sun on this sign

This looks like an artistic sign for a metal concert. But, it’s actually just a regular old sign that’s been sitting out in the sun for years, producing this interesting effect.

11. What the floor once looked like

The floor at this pizza joint was redone. But years of standing and waiting for takeout orders have worn through to the old flooring underneath.

12. A leaf without pigment

This leaf has been floating in a pool for days on end — so long, in fact, that it lost all its color. Now, it just has the outer fibers of its “skin.”

13. The cat’s daily walking route

This cat has a daily walking route, pacing back and forth in front of the shelving. The carpet has maintained the impressions of its paws, which also begs the question — is kitty a bit overweight?

14. Where the feet go tippy-tap

To outsiders, it might look like an old worn mat. But it’s actually where this sweet dog taps his feet in excitement every day when his owner comes home.

15. The pen passed down through the family

One poster said they had carried this pen with them every day for 15 years. But that’s not where the pen got its start. It originally belonged to their grandfather.

16. Fence beats rock

This fence fell down above a rock bed. But as years of hikers pressed it into the rock, it eventually cut through it.

17. That’s definitely his wallet

This poster’s father had the same wallet for so many years that his driver’s license had bled an image of own face into the plastic.

18. That’s a lot of haircuts!

This local barber has been cutting hair for many years — so long, in fact, that he;s worn a path at the base of the chair from moving around it so much.

19. The many colors of one wall

This wall chipped unexpectedly. The inhabitants of the house were shocked to see how many different paint jobs it had over the years.

20. It’s time for some new knives

Knives in the hands of a professional chef can be deadly. These have worn away to mere files after many years of use.

21. When you know it’s time to buy lotion

There’s no telling how old this lotion bottle is. Obviously, it was old enough that the list of ingredients on the back began to fall off!

22. Some beloved toys

When one mother bought her daughter a beloved toy, she also bought three backups just in case one was lost. Then one day many years later, they found all four of them.

23. A carpet after 60 years

When one elderly lady moved her bed after 60 years, this is what she found. That must have been a pretty good bed to have lasted over half a century!

24. The progression of a belt

A Reddit user shared this photo of their belt and said they had used every hole in it over time. What a fantastic and tangible reminder of the progress they’ve made.

25. 40 years of staples

Telephone poles are a perfect place to put up announcements, PSAs, and other information. This particular pole shows the effects of four decades of people attaching things with staples.

26. A record of an IKEA prank

This prank at IKEA was clearly successful. Many people over the years have fallen for the prank, trying to open the fake door.

27. A shop computer after years of entering orders

There’s no way to know how many customers it takes to put your shop keyboard in this condition. But the good news is that you probably have the money to buy a new one!

28. This store doorbell after many years

For many years, this doorbell has swung into the door every time a customer walked into the store. The result is they might need to buy an entirely new door!

29. Tires that track your tread percentage

Here’s a helpful feature. These tires show the degree of wear as you’ve driven your car. Clearly, it’s time for a replacement!

30. What almost 200 years of feet will do

The stairs on the left were constructed in the early 1800s. The thousands of feet that walked up them since then wore them away. At one point, they probably looked like the ones on the right, which were built in 2005.

31. Decades of paper cuts on a fax machine

We’ve all had a paper cut and yelled in pain, wondering how on earth a little piece of paper could hurt so badly. Apparently, paper can even cut into a fax machine!

32. St. Peter’s foot in the Vatican

Thousands of pilgrims have reverently touched this statue of St. Peter in the Vatican over the years, so often it has almost completely worn away.

33. Seven years of being a puppy path

Animals are often creatures of habit — aren’t we all? This staircase shows the path of one eager puppy who’s walked up the same side every day for seven years.

34. The same shoe, new and three years old

The poster doesn’t mention what they do for a living, but they did say that in three years, their boots had seen 6,000 hours of work. No wonder they look so beat up!

35. A tetherball pole with the marks of many games

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You don’t usually see a tetherball chain make a mark on a pole. So, you can only imagine how many times people hit the ball to achieve an effect like this!

36. Taking the wedding ring off after 20 years

Many people, once they get married, don’t bother taking their wedding ring off — often for a lifetime! This man waited 20 years before he removed his.

37. Where everyone takes a turn

This small circle, worn away in the floor, shows where hundreds of students pivot every day when moving from one flight of stairs to the next.

38. Slide to the left?

This mark on the countertop of a convenience store shows where thousands of purchases were slid over for the cashier to ring them up. It’s amazing how clear it is!

39. Spot his favorite melody

This busker was spotted in Malta carrying his instrument over one shoulder. It’s clear to see which keys he plays most frequently.

40. Three years of double cat love

If you own a cat, you might want to watch out for table legs or garden fences. This is the damage that two house cats did to a fence in a mere three years!

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Source: Bored Panda, Shareably