Brass & Steel Box

Any idea what it was used for, age, origin?
Thanks

 

Church?

 

looks like the lock and hinges were added on as an afterthought...

& what's with the holes on the top.....those aren't for air.......looks like sumpthin's missing ...

 

Hi,
It is the joy stick from the space ship in "plan nine from outer space".
greg

 

My cat says it would be an appropriate receptacle for her catnip stash. Those hinges look awfully slapdash to me, but the inside looks genuinely old.

 

looks to me like someone had plants in it at some point with the rust inside

 

I wish there was a pic looking straight down on the top of the lid.

>... joy stick ...<

Funny, a joy stick was the first thought I had! ☺️

--- Susan

 

I saw a Tesla coil first

 

As a fabricator of many years, sheet metal in particular, I'm going to say that the entire contraption was handmade and therefore the hinges probably were as well. This is brass and so the metal is soft. Hinges made of brass can't stand up to abuse for long without being tweaked as they are. I would never use only 1 attachment point to attach each flange of a hinge especially of brass. That is just begging for them to rotate and flare out at their edges like they have.
Same issues for the hasp. See how it's bent from abuse? 2 attachment points would've been much better. I don't see the staple that fits through the hasp except for its mounting plate. It is also odd that steel was used for the pins/rivets to hold them on. Not compatible materials but kept inside and dry less issues should arise. The pins could be modified nails.
What is also odd is that that the fabricator put beading into it at the upper edge and just above the bottom. This makes it stronger and better to hold its shape. He knew this. The bottom appears to be steel, maybe galvanized, and peened over the brass which is flared out. This makes a better attachment to keep the bottom from coming off.
That all said...the top shaping is beautiful and quite hard to do. Look at the right edge of the top. See how the side comes around for a way to overlap the metal to fuse it together? Poor work and so I think the top is a 'marriage' to the box itself. I think it was from something else and utilized to dress the box up.
The tower, which looks like a Tesla coil, also has steel as a washer to hold it in place inside the top. Maybe the tower is married to the top as well. The petals, tower and bulbous area all speaks of a different craftsman.
I like it....I want it....

 

Ha! I was writing that when you were!!!

 

I'm seeing Indian brass.

 

With those sections, it looks a bit like a primitive Indian masala dhabba spice box. Could be old, could be a recent tourist piece.

 

No clue...but my first thought was that it is some kid's version of a space ship.

 

Looks like a replica to me with all those file marks on the hasp.