Ollie,
thanks for the thoughts.
Yes, I thought of birch, but eliminated it because of hardness on the scale- may have been error.
I "found" what looks like nice clear maple boards; one of the problems with the box is the bottom requires a 1 1/4" thick board !
Hardware,
the strange, unusual, or unique latch on these boxes will have to be made from scratch. Bent from flat stock, punched, some parts milled, a spring - very daunting.
I've never seen these latches on anything else, nor could I find them online.
Maybe if I were in Germany they would be common.
Even the hinges are special.