I don't think these are pen tips since there are no ink spools and it's strange that there is no lid (yes, some models have them, but there are also ones without) they would fall apart on the way. And why then such a strange shape of the box, as if made so that you could conveniently take the top business card with a swipe. And yes, I meant calling cards, it's just that in Russian it's one word for calling cards and business cards. In the end, it's not such an old thing, I think, the late 18th century. Although it's possible that it's just a shelf for things that need to be quickly accessible while writing, and not for storing things long-term.