What was this used for? It has a tray. Both the tray and the bottom of the box are divided by long wooden rows unevenly spaced (six in the tray, six on the bottom). The depth of the row are about 5/8″

The box is 9 inches long.

It seems the brass handle was an after thought as the screws protrude through the top.

I am assuming that this is a custom box as it appears a hole was made for a lock but not finished. The lid stays closed by two hooks on the either side of the front (One remains)

The bottom of the box is not finished.