Old Solid Wood Sarcophagus Shaped Box With Brass Handle On Top & Lock

Hi everyone. I hope all is well with you guys. I just acquired a wooden box today and know next to nothing about wood or boxes. All I know about it is that I liked it. Here is what I was wondering:

-How old is it? What era was it made?
-American? European? English?
-What kind of wood is it?
-Is it a tea box? A Jewelry Box? A Sewing box?

**Here are the clues:

-It has a very old, musty odor

-Sarcophagus shaped?

-The screws look older as usually newly made boxes have phillip head screws and there are no phillip head screws on it and some of the screws look unevenly made and possibly not made by a machine like newer screws of today

-The wood has darkened with age

-Solid, thick wood and no sign of veneers. Looks like it was made of one type of wood

-Handle is oxidized and has a logo, makers name, numbers or words on it that I cannot make out

-The screws/nuts that the handle is affixed to the lid has two crossed lines gouged in it for a screw driver or wood working tool to tighten it

The original key was missing so I took my dremel and custom made a replacement key that would fit the lock pin and key hole, but the key does not work. Is just there for looks.

Any information on this box would be greatly appreciated. I can only fit 10 pictures to this thread, so I will add more photos to another post so you can all see the details on the box. Thanks in advance for all of your replies.

 

More pictures:

 

Tea chest shape.

 

Thank you. Are all tea chests supposed to have inserts and partitions in them? I wonder if this once had a metal lining and a partition?

 

To me this looks like a really nice 1980s reproduction; the hardware all looks straight out of the 80s. An actual expert will be along shortly.

 

Thanks for your reply. I figured if if anyone knows anything about this it would be you guys.

 

I wouldn't call this a sarcophagus shape but WDIK from sarcophagi ...to me this looks like a too-heavily built fairly modern box - pier 1 or cost plus imports?

 

Thanks for the info. I thought it was pretty but had no idea how old it was.

 

Old boxes aren't made of solid wood and are usually veneered and far more lightly built.

 

I appreciate that information

 

It is a pretty box, but also pretty recent. The faux staining/oxidisation on both wood and metal means it is no earlier than very late 20th century. It seems some are made in India.
The musty smell could come from having been stored in a damp place for a few years, like a shed or a garage.
I am not seeing any age-related darkening of the wood.

Just my opinion, the key you added is of a very different style.
Unfortunately keys often go missing. I think it is better to have no key than a shiny new one in a totally different style. Again, just my opinion. The box is yours, if you enjoy looking at it with this key, by all means keep it like this.

 

From a source like The Bombay Company.

Debora

 

A pretty repro. I would have bought it if I'd come across it at the thrift!

 

Looks Like a place to put the ashes of your dearly departed......

 

I loved me some Bombay ! I still miss them .

 

High impact decorative items at affordable prices.

Debora

 

I have a few Bombay pieces here. I am sorry to say, they did not fair well in time. Not real sturdy.
I remember browsing in the store, it was always so crowded.

 

Thank you : )

 

Lol!

 

I never shopped there. Was it a store that sold repro furniture?