Back in the olden days, when the world was young.....and I went to a couple of auctions a week! We would sometimes see stuff that "came from the ditch". When people cleaned out, they just took stuff to the ditch, then when a family member decided that maybe some old stuff might bring some money, they dug stuff out of the muck in the ditch. Old ironstone was discolored and stained, as were things that had been used for a planter, or a water holder on a radiator. And I have a wonderful old blue pottery pie plate, crazed but not discolored. The first time I used it, apple pie, cooked about an hour and a quarter. that pie dish oozed dark brown grease out of the bottom. The pie didn't seem discolored....so we ate it! Haven't baked in that dish since!

I just wanted to add that my father and step-mother use their china quite regularly (it's the set that belonged to my grandmother.. something Royal Doulton I believe). It was a wide band of gold around the edge and after countless tours through the dishwasher, it's still perfectly intact. I think the industry has come a long way with detergents now. I remember when I was kid and everything came out of the dishwasher etched, cloudy and ruined... You just don't see that happening anymore. Having said that... I don't use my china regularly (only for something special)... and only recently got a dishwasher and I'm not sure if I'll be brave enough to put my china in it.

Ohmygosh Leximom! I have an EXACT same China cabinet! In fact, I have the whole dining room set-China cabinet, large buffet, small server, trestle table with claw-foot legs, 4 side chairs, 2 arm chairs! It was purchased at a local auction (eastern PA) many years ago. Like you, I was eager to find any info on it. The other day I found tags on the undersides of the chairs. (Never thought to look there before until by brother suggested it.) The set was made by the Thomasville Chair Company of Thomasville, NC. I'm guessing around the 1930s. Here's a website for a history of the company: http://www.fundinguniverse.com/company-histories/thomasville-furniture-industries-inc-history/ There's a Thomasville store nearby and I'm going there in the next few days with photos of all the pieces. I'm hoping they can give me more exact dates and any other info they have. If I find out more, I'll let you know. They're beautiful pieces, and I just cleaned ALL the draw pulls with Wright's copper cleaner. They look fabulous-bright and shiny again. Can't believe I found your post. I just noticed the numbers stamped ONLY on the China cabinet pulls and searched for that. Here's a photo of the buffet:

First, stop with the toxic, stinky stuff! Try something nontoxic like the Citristrip or Soygel. It is SO worth the money!! I'm using it and it's absolutely fun! Particularly for lovely detail work. Your tool is a toothpick! You put it on (for stain) and leave it until the clear finish and/or stain starts to look like BBQ sauce. Then you gently rub it off with a kitchen scrubbie and water. (Mineral spirits liquifies the stain and old finish back into the grain of the wood. Give up that idea! :) They say NOT to use steel wool because Citristrip is water soluable and will cause the steel wool to rust. The plus side is the water soluable part! No chemicals, no toxicity, just beautiful wood. I'm on my 4th antique door today doing just this. I am WAY into watching old finish bubble up and scraping it off into a drywall bucket to bare wood. I swear it's almost too good to be true. As far as rehabbing a finish, Holly-kay, have you seen the incredible work online people are doing with olive oil and vinegar? Yup. Salad dressing. They're using the 0000 steel wool with that and scrubbies. I'm coming to find that horrible, burning chemicals aren't necessary and love it. As far as not liking your first coat finish? Before you put another on, take the 000 steel wool and water and smooth out the coat. You can also use a dry lunch sack. It doesn't leave any scratches to fill. Wipe all the dust off and put your 2nd coat on. I'd actually use the darker wax before your final finish coat. I think that's a good idea, though. You can feather it in where needed. I am so into this it's nuts. I can't wait to build my 2nd credenza!