Any information on old(?), heavy(!) wood box

I found this at my local thrift shop (as always!) yesterday. When I picked it up I was surprised - it is Heavy!!
It measures 24" x 9" x 9"
I think it may be old, but it has a made in India sticker on the bottom of it - any idea how old it is? (look at the nails in photo 4 - aren't those forged?)
What kind of wood is it that has beautiful grain & is so unexpectedly heavy?
What was it made/used for? (there was some straw like material in it - maybe for a champagne bottle?)
Thank you for any help with this!
PS - 1st photo was taken at thrift shop when I tried to do an image search on it & rest were taken in the evening at home with camera flash - which shows the wood better I think)

 

I have seen a few boxes from India with the fitted iron but without the handles that were dated to the early-mid 1900's.

 

Thank you that's great if mine applies!
Did they have the made in India stickers that early?

 

JM- There have been a massive amount of Campaign Chests made over the last 150+ years.Some pieces made by esteemed reputable UK furniture makers,some by high-end interior design firms,some cheap Indian/Chinese knockoffs.
The finish on your piece looks oddly 'swirly' as if it was faux finished or it could be (as Brad calls it 'plantation wood').Does it have dovetail construction,are the metal reinforcement pieces solid brass,plated,iron or steel ?
A valuable piece doesn't have to be a 19th century military item-Campaign furniture's been hot off & on since it first appeared 200 plus years ago.
Let's see what @verybrad has to say.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Campaign_furniture

 

JM Quote-'Did they have the made in India stickers that early?'.
Can you post a clearer pic of that sticker ?
I'll go out on a limb here(I could be wrong)-that sticker may not denote great age or high-quality,but let's wait for wiser minds to weigh in,shall we JM ?

 

Unfortunately I think it's not that old just made to have that old look, they haven't even tried to fake old construction techniques. The banding is too thin plate, anything before 1947 would have had "made in British India" if it had a label at all (a box like that wouldn't have had) I'm sorry to say the straw in the bottom might just be the straw it was packed in when it came over from India.

 

Agree that this is pretty new, made in an older more primitive style. India has a lot of plantation teak and this may be what you have here. These types of boxes were big in the import stores in the 80s and 90s. Later on, the source for similar wood boxes seemed to shift more to Indonesia.

 

Thanks all - does it being so heavy help tell the type of wood?

 

I suspect it's Sheesham wood, Teak is quite expensive and the figure in the wood also looks like Sheesham.

 

Thank you!
PS - figure?

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Figure_(wood)

 

Aha! Thank you!

 

verybrad & 808 raver,
Here is a pic of the screws in the top's hinges - aren't the slot screws 1960's & before instead of 1980s/1990s?
Thanks

 

Slot screws have been used continuously. In fact, you rarely see phillips screws with these newer S.E. Asian imports. They are more common with Western and Chinese products.

 

Well..shoot

 

I agree with Verybrad, the look this chest maker was going for was one of age but not in a convincing way, to a trained eye there's nothing about this chest that says antique and the maker wasn't trying to fool anyone. It's all folded tin plate, stain, and hand forged handles that new can be found all over India. I have a larger 19th c Teak dowry chest (like this https://www.indigo-uk.com/products/burmese-teak-dowry-chest ) and another Indian one like this https://www.carters.com.au/index.cf...ss-indian-dowry-chest-19th-century-35-cm-hig/ Often if a box is old it was kept because it was ornate or very very old, The Indian chest I have are faked a lot these days, the only real tell is the lid on old ones are carved from one piece of wood while the copies are made from joined planks.

 

Made in British India wasn’t a label I’ve ever seen and I’ve seen a LOT of older Indian stuff. It had no label, or empire made or made in India.

 

I will admit that it isn't on every Indian antique or even most but a quick look on some of my boxes I found 3 out of the 10 I looked at. I even predicted it being on a cake stand some one posted on here a few weeks ago.

 

https://www.antiquers.com/threads/translation-needed-on-a-hoshiarpur-table.81272/

 

That’s interesting, it must have been used for exports outwith the Empire.