Alternative use for this tea caddy?

I found this tea caddy in an antique shop in the US. The owner said he had no idea what the three slots were for. He assumed there was some alternative use for it. Maybe it was a game or a donation box or something. I really want to know. As with other tea caddies, those two side compartments/boxes can be removed. This tea caddy probably would've been made in the first quarter of the 1800s. If anyone has any ideas, please let me know.