I believe this lovely antique hardwood box was made to hold a deck of cards--as it does so beautifully, fitting exactly one deck of standard dimension cards snugly inside, with the heart-shaped window providing a peep. And, shaped like a little book, it could be stealthily slipped in among the the stacks in the library or parlor, then pulled out when in need of diversion!

4 1/8" x 3 1/8"  x 15/16". Fits standard cards: 2 5/16" x 3 9/16". Very good condition. It seems possible that there was once something behind the cutout but I don't know. There are small notches on either top corner where the slide top lid pulls out, which I would assume are small chips incurred through use.