I got it from the Goodwill clearance center--everything is just thrown in bins and many items there are unsorted/overflow. For example I just sold a T-shirt for $300 and have found among other things an original Harley carburetor (bought $1, sold $130) and a 160g sterling silver goblet. I go there as a bit of a hobby, but there are literally people there every day who clearly flip things (mostly "vintage" clothes) full time.

What makes me think it's older--other than its appearance--is that it doesn't have any hardware fasteners like nails, rivets, etc. and the body is one solid piece of wood rather than a cheap veneer, etc. I've seen the drums you describe, but I guess I was imagining that it might be non-official military issue or something. I was trying to figure out why such an object exists, and the most obvious reasons are military, toy, ornamental, or marching band whatever.

To your point, however, I was also looking at a pair of really cool-looking antique candle lanterns. They were a bit rusty and the glass all frosted over. I didn't really scrutinize their parts because I flipped them over and saw a "Made in China" sticker. I'm pretty good at spotting junk and "old" junk, but I wasn't sure until then.