This was posted on another site and we can't figure out what it's for. Some of the quick knowledge on this site amazes me, so I thought I'd give it a try.
Obviously not for spices, medicine, nuts & bolts, etc. because the drawer boxes aren't enclosed.
I thought maybe postal like from an old general store post office or mail sorting from an office, but IDK.
It is a Tea/spice/apothecary box. Typified by the numerous drawers to hold small stashes of product.
The drawers look to be nailed with late 19th to 20th century nails and they aren't box or dovetail joints like traditional drawers from earlier 19th century. Also the saw marks on the drawer are from a machine saw, not a straight hand saw.
If not simply made as a reproduction it's likely each drawer held a cardboard box that just fit inside and contents of whatever were placed inside. The cutback allowed for access to the contents.
This is made as a high production piece rather than hand-crafted by an individual. Overall construction is simplified for mass production.
I with ya on it not being as old as it appears to be due to construction and materials. Good catch the saw marks, I didn't catch that.
If mass made and primarily for decoration, the boxes make even less sense. Regardless of the period, or even if they were altered, I'm still perplexed. I like the idea of some kind of cardboard insert and the ease of removing it though.