We walked past this Oak Drop Front Desk twice.  It was in relatively rough condition.  The backing boards had fallen off and it was covered in all sorts of creepy stuff. Well, it wound up in our shop and we pulled it all apart, replaced the backing boards with lumber from the period, gave it a good scrubbin, and put it all back together. It's rare to find the old mirror that's in this one that is still in good condition.  We didn't remove the original shellac that they used, but we hand rubbed it with linseed oil,  (3 coats). The resulting patina is soft, not shiny, and there are some time marks in the wood.  This wasnt abused, but it was certainly well used. WE EVEN HAVE THE ORIGINAL KEY!