What kind of box is this?

[mart]

The knob that you turned to focus the microscope would be right at mid point of the box or a little lower !!  Is that where the scrapes are ?? The older ones were a little heavy so if it was carried by the handle of the box it could have slid enough to leave a mark !! I have no idea about that shelf !!

[carolanivey]

No, the marks are toward the top of the box, both sides. [scratching head] Odd. If it's not a microscope, like someone else said, it must be some other kind of equipment. The latch doesn't look sturdy enough to hold up to heavy outside field work.

[mart]

I thought about a surveyers transit but its too small for that !!  Maybe I should sleep on it !!

[fancypants]

Another thought(s) ... it might have been a case from an industrial "Tool Room" - a location where millrights would store,maintain/true/sharpen specialty tools , chucks , jigs , heads , microcrometers & etc. & a place where a machinist would have to 'sign off' on being assigned a do-dad , before the item left the 'room/cage' - all I can say is that it looks c1900's-ish , without having it b4 my eyes .

[cogar]

It is absolutely not for a microscope or a transit because of, to wit:

It's basically a cube, about 6 or 7 inches wide/tall, .

[carolanivey]

I'm afraid I misspoke in respect to the dimensions...it's slightly taller than it is wide. But not a lot. Even with the lenses removed I have a hard time picturing how a microscope could fit in there, even a small one. Unless it was disassembled even further to fit inside.

My husband suggested digging his old microscope out of the basement to see if it could be disassembled to fit.

I agree that the number on the box suggests that it had to be signed out to be used, or maybe assigned to a specific student for the year or the semester.