Interesting ... Where did you get it, and what do you know of the history?

Has it been repainted? It looks way too "new" to be 1783.

Can you tell what kind of wood it is? Look on the inside and underneath.

the outward sloping base resembles the base on old Scandinavian chests.

The paint is orginial, it has just been kept in extraordinary shape. A gentleman that was helping me wrote and said " ...wonderful marriage chest, There is a lot that is impressive about this chest.The detail is extraordinary. Important to understand that this chest joins to families,possibly noble ones. I say that because of the crown shaped lock,as well the monolithic writing of the families initials. you will notice that each side is different.the one on the left appears to be a 3 letter monogram ,(I could be wrong) to me to contain the letters D/ C with a large center letter being an A ( possibly) an H. The second monolithic set of letters is more difficult.I believe it to be a 4 letter monogram , J /C the large center letter being an A (possibly) an H.I am not sure of the fourth letter (possibly a Maiden name). What I find very intriguing is that I have two books on "Monograms and Alphabetic Devices By Hayward and Blanche Cirker Copyright 1970 these books contain about 10 different styles mostly (British and French ),The earliest being 1830 others are 1870/ 74 and 1881 the styles on this trunk are not in those books.Which makes sense as this trunk has an earlier date. Certainly the way the artist joins the larger letter with a ring. The reason I bring this up is that the artistic style of the lettering could potentially tell the artist.Maybe there are other books with monolithic writing from this earlier time period.You may want to seek out a historian that is a specialist in monolithic writing. The symbolism is all over the place on this one ,two different yet similar painted sides with the tying of the ribbon, only 2 flowers in the basket,love birds etc......"

It looks northern European to me and the date may be accurate. By the way, the date is most likely carved and not stamped. Could we have shots of the interior, the sides, and the back?

The hooded lid is very distinctive. Here's another coffer with a similar lid. I don't know how accurate the seller's description is, but have no reason to doubt it.

similar style offered for sale

Thanks you here is some pics. Yes. I think he date is carved a well

X

Fabulous piece!! Sounds like that gentleman helping you has it pretty well nailed as to description.

I think its a "Hope Chest".

Ref: http://www.clickhomeimprovement.com/Hope-Chest-Lancaster-PA-86016555_Lancaster-PA.html

Quote:

Hope Chest
The
traditional hope chest is a wooden trunk or box that is used to store
special articles of clothing and other household goods for a bride to
use after her marriage. This tradition is thought to have evolved out of
necessity. In medieval Europe, many marriages were arranged by parents
in order to merge family fortunes. A wealthy prospective groom’s family
offered the bride’s family money, land, or even business ownership in
order to win her hand in marriage. In turn, the bride’s family provided
the new couple with everything they needed to start their lives
together. This gift, which was called a dowry, included linens, china,
silverware, glassware, kitchen items, and even furniture.

Families
of limited means could not afford elaborate dowries, but wanted to be
able to offer a prospective husband something of value for marrying
their daughters. Traditionally, mothers taught their daughters at an
early age how to knit, embroider, sew, and crochet in preparation for
marriage. Young women, dreaming of their wedding day, started
accumulating a collection of special items, including lingerie,
hand-embroidered linens, towels, aprons, quilts, and other handicrafts,
and storing them for the future in a special chest, which became a
symbol of hope for the future. The new bride then brought her hope chest
to her new home on her wedding day, and these items became part of her
new household.

Unquote.

Seems rather simplistic to call such a beautifully rosemaaled chest a 'hope chest" which is rather a modern term. It has obvious Scandanavian/northern European history, whether from immigrants or because it originated there. Such chests were usually called "dower chests" or "marriage chests".
The use is pretty much the same....but the importance was on the chest itself rather than the contents>
When we say "hope chest" I immediately think of a Lane cedar chest. I think Lane promoted that terminology.
Whatever you call it it's fabulous!