Time is probably the most precious thing we have in our lives. If we didn’t have it, nothing would make any sense. The truth is that nothing in this world is immune to being influenced or completely altered by time. One of the most common ways in which this happens is when things become worn by time, and simply become old. From human hands to really worn teddy bears, check out these captivating pictures, showing how things can become completely altered after decades of existence.
Stairs Worn Down By Time
The number of people that step in the exact same place over time is probably unthinkable for most of us. The stairs in this picture lead to the top of a mountainous area and are often the main path for most pedestrians.
Over the years, the set of stairs started becoming completely worn out, but because they are made of stone, they held on untouched for quite a while. After a couple of decades, it’s possible to see the steps of different people on their way up or down.
What A Pressure Wash Does To A Building
New Yorkers out there will easily agree with the fact that some buildings in the city look much older and dirtier than they have to. Neighborhood buildings stay years and even decades without being washed or painted, resulting in really dirty looking buildings.
But this picture shows that there is an easy solution for it and that it is indeed possible to make a building look brand new after a wash. Sadly though, neighbors around the world often get into heated arguments when it comes to a buildings’ maintenance, so it’s not that easy to get a building pressure washed. Some manage to do it, and we’re glad to see that it really does work.
Layers After Layers
People advertise their businesses, events, and services in all kinds of ways. While the internet has become popular and commonplace to do so, hardcopies never really get old. It is true that with the increasing environmental concern, people tend to hang fewer posters, but they are still out there.
Clearly, this lamp’s pole has been a favorite over the years, resulting in a really worn-out set of posters from event enthusiasts. In some way, the colorful layers make for a beautiful pole decoration but carry an unimaginable amount of ads and personal notes. By the looks of it, that won’t be the last layer.
60 Years Hidden In A Pocket
Finding money that has been forgotten in our pockets or anywhere in our homes really is one of the best sensations ever. Everyone loves finding money they thought they didn’t have. It’s a great feeling, especially if the money is still in use, of course. This might not be the case of whoever found this penny.
The silver dollar was forgotten in a pocket for more than 60 years, without anyone ever suspecting that the penny was there. After six decades, someone found it and realized how worn down the penny was. At that point, it would only serve as a souvenir with an interesting story.
The Power Of Sea Breeze
The sea breeze can be one of two things: one of the best feelings and smells in the world, or a really harmful and detrimental thing. Depending on what experiences it, it would be either very positive or very negative. In coastal areas, the combination of rain, the sea spray’s chloride and small salt particles are carried by the wind, easily resulting in the corrosion of certain materials.
That’s why architects and engineers need to be extremely careful with the materials they use when building infra-structure close to the sea. In this image, it’s easy to figure out which doorknob has been exposed to the sea breeze and which hasn’t.
Sharpening After 41 Years
Sharpening a knife can be very helpful for cooking, especially if it’s done on a regular basis, and on a good knife. This image shows just what continuously sharpening a knife can do over the course of 41 years.
It does make us wonder though why this person didn’t simply get a new knife and kept sharpening a knife that at some point became as little as a table knife. Who knows, maybe the object holds some sort of sentimental value.
13 Years Of Contact With Water
For dog lovers, having a dog is one of the best things in the world. Dogs are (usually) loyal, they are companions, and they love their owners unconditionally.
This family has had their dog for a while, and their dog had just turned 13 years of age. They finally decided it was time to change the small ID in his collar and realized that the ID tag had changed so much after 13 years of hitting the water bowl and probably playing in the sea. It’s safe to say that it was definitely time to get a new one.
Paper Cuts
While many things have become automatic, manual paper cuts have survived for quite some time now. Many people and a lot of companies still use them, and some have been using the exact same paper cut for years. This image clearly highlights that using the same paper cuts for years does have consequences, creating a mark that will never go away.
For this company, the machine has gone through every single stage the company has, cutting documents that emphasize different stages of the company’s development.
Worn Out Button
Owning a car as a young adult is a great accomplishment. Staying with the same car for years is even better, as the car also keeps tons of moments in a person’s life.
The person who owns this car clearly loves music, or the radio, and has clicked on that button more than ever. The button was clicked on so much that the interior almost looks like a Victorian portrait adding a touch of art to the worn-down car.
A Thousand Miles After
Hiking can be scary for some people, but for others, it’s just the touch of adrenaline they need in their lives. Some people even get to do it professionally, hiking hundreds of miles in the scariest weather conditions.
This hiker has used her hiking poles since the first hike she ever took and finally decided to buy a new one after she reached the 1,000-mile line. She then put them next to each other and realized how much she had done and accomplished each and every mile.
30 Years Hugging The Same Teddy Bear
These teddy bears have a beautiful story. A mother bought her son two of the same teddy bear back in 1985. She decided to give one of them to the young boy and to store the second one so that he would also be able to give it to his own children one day.
Years later, when his first son was born, he gave him the teddy. They then decided to put the once identical teddy bears next to each other and realized how many moments and beautiful stories the worn down teddy bear had collected.
Steel Plate Full Of Experiences
Ah, amusement parks! They are some of the loudest, dirtiest, but most fun places for kids all over the world. Some of the most famous ones include Disney Parks in the US and Disneyland in Paris, OCT parks in China, and Parques Reunidos in Spain.
People can stay for hours in a line in order to experience the most popular rides. This particular steel plate has probably been stepped on thousands of times by amusement park enthusiasts from every corner of the world.
Old, Present and Future Caps
Well, it’s pretty safe to say that this guy loves his caps! The guy posted a picture of his old, current, and future caps on Reddit, and got more than a hundred comments. His taste clearly remained the same throughout the years, and he sure gives a whole new meaning to loving a cap and Menard.
If we look closely enough, the cap in the middle has a dirty spot right on the top center, which basically imprints his pointer finger, which probably often puts it on, takes it out, or simply adjust it. We have to say that his commitment is commendable.
Barbershop Rings
Fun fact, barbershops have been around as an institution for a very long time. They date back to early 296 B.C when Greek men would get together for some gossiping and debating while cutting their hair and trimming their beards.
Today, barbershops have different meanings in different places, with a lot of cultural weight for different communities. This barbershop has been around for various generations, and their floor rings surely emphasize how popular it has been.
Same Paw Opening The Same Door
Little furry friends can be really smart. Some dogs are able to do incredible things, showing just how much we underestimate the intelligence of our little pups. One thing that many dogs easily learn to do is to open doors.
But because dogs like routine and often prefer to do things in the same place and from the same angle, this dog has been opening the same door from exactly the same place for years. Due to that, he has left a mark that will forever remind everyone that the door has an owner!
Married For 55 Years
It’s an unfortunate fact that almost 50% of marriages end in divorce in the world. Nowadays, staying married for 50 years is very rare and almost unheard of. This couple, who stayed married for 55 years, almost never took their rings off.
For them, the rings had become a part of who they were, hardly taking it out unless it was a requirement. As a result, both of them will always have what looks like the ghost of their wedding rings forever imprinted on their fingers.
The Occasional Use
With the cost of real estate nowadays, owning a big apartment or house if extremely hard, especially for young people. So many settle for cozy and small places, while adapting the furniture to whatever size they get.
A common trait of these apartments is a bendable table that is basically only opened once or twice a year for that holiday dinner with family and friends. As a result, the middle part of the table always remains ‘newer’ than the remaining parts.
Old Vs New Money
Ah, the smell of fresh bills. Easily one of the most exciting smells in the world, they smell like power and a prosperous future. Not that old notes are not welcome, they for sure are.
But with the number of people that notes pass by throughout their existence, they easily become really worn down and looking old. While seeing the difference between the old and new notes in the picture is interesting, most people would be happy with either one of them, really.
Fence markings
At one time, this fence was built up behind the tree however as time had moved on, as the roots of the tree has searched for a further ground, the tree stump has moved with it.
Pushing against the fence for years as it breaks through, the fence has left its markings on the tree and they will stay there for the rest of the trees life. One day the fence won’t be there, but its remains will.
Walk Around
There are many people around who are very superstitious and a lot of these things come from a time much long ago. A famous superstition is that of walking under a ladder or something similar.
This is exactly what has happened here, due to people’s superstitions, they have chosen to walk around the poles rather than under and moved to the right, making a dent in the grass.
Ballerina
Here in the Royal Ballet School in London, England there sits this famous statue of Margot Fonteyn. While the ballet students attend the dance school, they are put under a huge amount of pressure.
You can see the color change of the statues middle finger as this is where, for many years, students have touched the finger with the hope that it will give them good luck.
Star Wars
Star Wars has been a franchise that has been around for decades, drawing fans of all ages in. From movies to clothing and so much more, fans can get their hands of many things in support of Star Wars.
Here a fan purchased two pillowcases 40 years ago however have only used one, the difference is outstanding.
Sandbags
A long time ago as the winter weather became very hard in this region, rainwater became a problem. As a solution to the emergency, these sandbags were placed down almost 40 years ago.
This helped maintain the water and stop it from running down the cliff, which could have potentially caused a big erosion. Decades later, the sandbags remain and have transformed into stone.
Family Cat
This family has had their cat around for 12 years and the pet took a liking to the father’s bench. As cats are a fan of scratching, something that is in their DNA, the cat stuck to one of the bench legs.
You can see clearly how much the leg has worn away compared to the bottom half and the others. If they are not careful, the bench could come crashing down anytime soon.
A Worn Out Chisel
Chisels are useful for many things that everyone should have at least one in their house. The long-bladed cutting tool can cut and shape materials such as wood, metal items, stones, and a whole range of other materials.
Even though the tool is pretty strong, it does get worn down after some time. Whoever owned this specific chisel definitely used it to its fullest. But as strong as chisels are, they’re not immune to becoming old and needing a replacement either.
Same Shaving Brush 30 Years Later
Choosing the right shaving brush is not easy. The usual brush, though, being used for years, is the typical badger hairbrush. The brush is known to have awesome qualities, made from several hair parts from a badger’s torso.
Many barbershops use it as one of their favorite shaving tools. But the guy who owned this particular brush probably used a little bit too much, until he decided to buy a new one 30 years later.
Trench
Back in WWI, 102 years ago, trenches were dug to ensure that soldiers had a place to hide and find refuge. Here they were able to protect themselves.
Out of the firing line, soldiers spent most of their time here in the trenches and as you can see, over time, they have slowly started to fill with land.
Door Handle
Believe it or not, the door handle wasn’t exactly invented that long ago. Founded by Osbourn Dorsey, the invention is documented in 1878. Of course, now, they are used all around the world.
Here, with a lock that turns to the left, this door handle has worn away on one side only, showing its original brass coloring.
Tetherball Played Too Many Times
While Tetherball is not technically considered a sport, it is a very popular outdoor activity for children and adults. The activity consists of two players usually, in which each tries to hit a ball from their side, hanging on a metal pole.
Whoever owned this tetherball pole sure loved to play, as the pole has become rusty and clearly used to its fullest. It makes us wonder if, with the advance of technology, the kids of the next generation will ever know what playing tetherball is.
Hands of Time
A natural part of the aging process, wrinkles begin to appear all over our bodies. As our skin gets thinner and we loose elastin, this leaves us with wrinkles.
Although some may prefer not to age, it is a pretty beautiful site to see the difference between these two hands. Here a girl in her 20’s takes a picture with her Grandmother.
Ocean wall
Once erected on a beach, this wall looks as though it has melted into the ground. Built for reasons unknown, the time has certainly made its mark here.
With the ocean washing over this area of land every day, the wall has eroded.
Curved Trees
Nature has an unusual way of reacted to man-made things and this picture is proof of that. As these exhaust vents continue to blow air out, they have managed to change the shape of the tree.
Usually growing tall and strong, the constant airflow has forced the trees to lean to one side, resulting in them becoming entangled with the others.
Willie Nelson
Willie Hugh Nelson is a much-loved actor, musician and activist. He rose to fame due to his success with Red Headed Stranger and Stardust.
Today, he is one of the most recognized country music singers there is. Here his guitar, which he named Trigger, has worn away after about 45 years of use.
Feet Marks
Not many of us are aware if we manage to stand on the same spot everyday but for this man, who had a specific prayer spot you can see what a different his weight has made on the floor.
Over many years, his feet have made a dent on the wooden floor, leaving an amazing imprint.
Shoes
Shoes have got to be one of the most obvious things that wear away over time. They are probably one of the most used things in your wardrobe but here you can see how much stress our feet put on the shoe.
The left shoe is severely worn down but for the right one, although they are the same pair, that isn’t the case. This is due to the fact that the shoe on the right is worn on this man’s prosthetic foot.
LiveStrong
This person wore their LiveStrong wristband for so long that the band actually started to wear away.
Not only did the band erode over time but the color faded. By the time this person took the band off the letters had almost completely worn away. Now that is a commitment to a cause!
Ballet Slippers
Ballet slippers aren’t exactly made to last. Because they are made of such delicate materials the average professional ballet dancer goes through about a pair per show.
It doesn’t take long for a hole to form after all that twirling and spinning. The worst part is that a good pair of slippers can be very expensive and the most popular dancer can end up spending thousands just on shoes.
Key Card Reader
Every time an employee wants to enter this office building they need to swipe their keycard to open the door. No wonder then that the reader and surrounding wall are so badly worn.
At this rate, these employees are going to wear through the wall. If the wall is this worn we wonder what the cards look like!
Baskets
You can easily see which of these baskets are new and which are the old ones. The older baskets are all faded and worn from what you would think was years in the sun.
However, these baskets are only 6 months old. We guess that’s what happens when you leave plastic baskets out in the Californian sunshine.
Floor tiles
You may not recognize it immediately, but this is what the floor tiles look like in a public bathroom. It seems the years of wear and tear have left a definite imprint on the floor below.
We guess it may be time these bathrooms are redone before someone wears a hole in the floor.
Ancient Stairs
These stairs don’t look very safe to climb but surprisingly every day thousands of tourists climb them. These are the stairs in the Leaning Tower of Pisa, and over the years they have been eroded away by the throngs of tourists climbing the tower.
All 296 stairs have been eroded in the middle despite being made out of rock hard marble. The stairs have become so dangerous that they will soon need to be replaced, but this would mean that the tower will need to be closed to tourists during the construction.
Worn Pages
This is the difference between a brand new notebook and a notebook that has been well used. Not only are all the pages full of writing in the old notebook, but the edge of the pages has begun to wear away.
This used notebook is so full of notes that it doesn’t even close properly. Not surprisingly, it didnt take that long to fill this notebook in the first place.
Great Wall
The Great Wall of China is one of the most visited places in the world, and these stairs are evidence of that. Gaining access to the Wall most popular spot, the stairs in this area have almost vanished.
Worn away by the millions of people who have walked up and down them, these stairs have now almost become one smooth walkway.
Piano Pedal
Although your fingers and hands are essential to playing the piano, there is also a pedal where your foot rests and applies pressure to key certain sounds.
This old pedal has slowly worn away over time, exposing the metal underneath. This has taken many many years for the thick piece of brass to finally whittle down.
Volcanic Hike
This chain falls down this huge rock as a way to assist people climbing to the top. Here at the Zion National park, hikers need to make their way to the top so they can begin the Angel’s Landing hike.
Over the years, as the chain has caused friction against the rock, it has worn away. Sooner or later this area of rock will not exist.
Customers Forever Imprinted At The Bank
Who doesn’t remember spending hours and hours waiting for someone to help us at the bank? It’s perhaps a common place for both happiness and disappointment for so many people out there. This particular branch of the bank in the image has existed for years and is located in a very central area in the city.
Thus, many people choose this branch as their main bank, resulting in their imprints being forever stamped at the bank’s floor. An employee noticed it and decided to share it on her social media page, getting tons of responses due to how incredibly worn out the bank’s floor has become.
Pete’s Feet
Similar to the ballerina’s hand earlier on in this article, here inside of St. Peter’s Basilica you will find this statue. Inside Vatican City, plenty of Pilgrims come to see visit the statue, touching and kissing its feet, known as Pete’s Feet.
This tradition has been going on for centuries and as you can see, this interaction has worn away at the feet, so much so that you can no longer place them.
Diner
Here at this diner, people have been visiting for a long time, partly due to the vintage furniture and how it represents a certain place in time.
Here at the bar, as the seat is placed so close to the bar, people rest their legs either side of the seat. You can see here, that people’s feet have caused some serious wear and tear. Exposing the wood underneath the vinyl flooring.
Keyboard
Keyboards are widely used all over the world and with most of them being used most days for hours on end. After all, there are millions of people who are using a computer every single day.
It is no surprise that over time, these keyboards have worn down, each of them in different places.
Union Station
You will find these seats in Washington’s Union Station. The main transportation hub for the city, the station was opened back in 1907. Here, you can see the marks that have been left by those who once sat in these seats.
These human-shaped markings look kind of eerie actually. We wonder how long they have been there for?
Swinging
We have all done it when walking and turning a corner, we often look for something to put our hand on and swing ourselves around and that is exactly what happened here. A cornered off area, this post has worn away to show its original metal.
Taking a stroll and wrapping their hands around the top of the post has had a big effect on the metal. We’re just hoping there are as many adults doing it as kids.
No Sole
We can have a million different pairs of shoes sat in our wardrobes but the truth of the matter is, is that if we have one pair that we love, we’re probably going to wear them out until there’s no sole left on them.
Here, this guy’s shoes have worn so much that you can even see his toe marks and in fact on the left, it looks like the foot could come through the trainer at any moment.
Fave Football
Believe it or not, these footballs are exactly the same, well at least they once were. While one tended to be this family’s favorite to use, the other sat in their garage.
Whenever the kids would head out to play, they would grab their favorite football and as you can see, it really has worn away. Perhaps its time to get the other out.
Hiking Trail
Another hiking trail, here at Tsankawi, many people flock to the area throughout the year to hike over the volcanic rock.
Following the same trek for years, people’s footsteps have slowly worn away at the rock, creating these pot-ink holes. This shows how many people follow the same steps as the person before them.
Trainer wear
Most of us will have our trainers forever and the older we get, the more we seem to stick to the same favorite pair. Finding a shoe that fits our feet in all the right ways can sometimes be hard.
Trainers, in general, tend to wear pretty well and for these Adidas NEO they really have been worn into the ground. You can see the difference against this new pair.
Wishing Well
This well can be found in southeast Asia and is the local water well for the village and you can see exactly where it has worn away as people lean over the stone to get the water.
The markings on the stone show where people place their elbows as they hoist their bodies up onto the well so they can see the bucket as it scoops the water.
New Money
Money makes the world go round, and every day new money is printed. In fact, in America alone, around 38 million notes are printed every single day, sums up to a value of $541 million!!!
Here you can see two piles of $1 notes making $100, on the left you can see how much they have been used and passed around and the right stacks show you a perfectly new stack of money.
Shop Floor
This shop floor in Europe has been used time and time again over the past 30 years and the store opener, although he has done a refurb on the shop, he has never changed the floor.
Right in front of the cashier, you can see two feet marks from where people stand and pay. The craziest thing about this is that most people seem to of stood in exactly the same spot.
Dirt Everywhere
This line of chairs in a train waiting room shows which ones are used more than the others. Dirt is carried in the air all the time and its not until the end of the day when we wash our faces that we realized just how much dirt we interact with.
In a city that is heavily polluted, this wall shows the difference of the wall when it was first painted and how people have managed to protect it in certain areas.
Paying Area
The still in England’s London City is a hotspot for tourists who are looking to purchase an Oyster Card.
The green line on the floor has worn away so much that you can now see the concrete in the original shop build.
Mouse
The computer mouse has been around for some time now since 1968. Even though the mouse shape has changed quite a bit over the years, it stills serves a similar purpose.
The most commonly used areas of the mouse, the right and left click have completely worn away, but that doesn’t stop it from working.
Keyboard
This keyboard has worn away excessively and so much so that some of the keys now have holes in the middle.
We are not sure what this person does but its clear to see which keys they use the most.
A Smoker’s Remote Control
It’s no secret that smoking is bad. We know it, we read about it, and we even get to see it every time we look at the back of a package of cigarettes. Yet, it’s one of the most common addictions in the world.
While some people create some boundaries when it comes to smoking in the house, some people just smoke wherever, including their living room. This photo shows yet again one of the consequences of smoking, and how it can affect objects around the house.