The box, which sits on four brass ball and claw feet, has a rising lid and fall-front and contains hidden drawers.
The exterior has elaborate brass hinges and hasps, 39cm wide.
It is of a kind used by travellers in the 17th Century and appears to be purely decorative, but was in fact, incredibly difficult to break into or steal.
It has a strong lock at the centre and there are two bolts concealed in the sides, so that it could be screwed into floorboards, or the floor of a carriage when on the road.
The ball and claw feet were almost certainly later additions.
Strong boxes of this kind, with oyster veneering, were luxury items.
