They originally had tea in them, but once I used up all the tea I decided to keep them in case I ever needed containers for small things — pins or screws or something. However, in all the years I've had them I've never found anything for which they would make appropriate containers.
The reason I'm throwing them out is to make room on my DIY workbench for a larger number of containers for small things. I don't suppose they'll be appropriate for anything either, but hey, you never know!