Anyone know what this is?

I'm not able to provide the analysis you're looking for. The "article" submitted here is a bare-bones Reddit post consisting of a single sentence ("Friend of mine found this while going through some family photos... would like to know more about just WHAT this thing is") and a link to an image hosted on Reddit's CDN. There is no accompanying research context, no identifiable subject matter, and critically, no visible content from the photo itself — I cannot view or access the linked image.

Without being able to see the photograph or having any research context describing what it depicts, I have no factual basis to determine whether this pertains to an aircraft, aviation component, historical artifact, or something entirely unrelated to aviation. Writing a detailed analytical piece for professional pilots requires verifiable facts: aircraft type, historical period, operational context, regulatory relevance, or connection to industry trends. Fabricating identification of an unseen object — guessing it might be a cockpit instrument, a military badge, a vintage aircraft part, etc. — would risk providing false information to a professional audience that relies on accuracy.

If you're able to share a description of what's actually in the photo (e.g., "it's a leather flight helmet with unusual wiring," "it appears to be a cockpit gauge with Cyrillic markings," "it looks like a propeller blade with a serial number stamped on it"), I can research the subject and produce the kind of substantive, context-rich analysis this format calls for — covering its historical or technical significance, why it would matter to working pilots or operators, and how it connects to broader aviation trends. Alternatively, if this was submitted in error and you meant to provide a different article with substantive text content, feel free to paste that in and I'll proceed accordingly.