Try to bring the existing finish to life. Use lacquer thinner with a course cloth. What I learned was to work with what I had. The piece will just look like a piece that has been stripped and refinished. The piece was originally made in a mass production factory. Cheap for it’s time. It is,however,a quality piece compared to the new junk thats out there now.
It is very well put together. That was one of the reasons I got it when I turned it over and saw it was screwed together, I could tell it was older and well made. So, I guess we’ll see what happens!