Old box find and restore

Hi Guys,



As usual, I turn to this forum for it's wisdom and support...



I recently during a council clean up stumbled across a set of very dirty pieces of wood, covered in cement and dirt,



Much to my surprise I noticed hand crafted mitred dovetail joints on the pieces and had originally been assembled with hide glue... Panels are hand crafted and chamfered/planed to fit in the dados.



I gave it all a good clean, and discovered that I had all the pieces including the delicate brass handles, so I decided to re-assemble it and gave it a coat of linseed...



I however have no idea what what this type of sliding lid box may have been used for, how old it might be or what type of wood it may be. I am rather happy that I saved this from ending up in landfill...



Any input is appreciated.





















Regards



Pete