Can't tell without seeing it closer....but Tiger Maple is a sort of wood grain...but not likely found in a piece of that style....more likely quarter sawn oak, which is a way the oak is milled, sort of diagonally (??) across the grain. It looks to be early 20th century, I don't think it had another piece on top.....and I see no smoke damage....but you are right not to refinish it... And you are also right....that grille has to go!!! LOL! Linda C

Yes, I do have a problem distinguishing between homeless pieces of furniture and stray cats :-) True about those old casters - I try to avoid rolling them on the pieces I have. Check them, but if you want it to actually roll I would probably get new casters. At least the leg length will already be right for them. One bonus to its condition, by the way - the original finish is all off the top. That saves you stripping it. But it's OK on the legs, so you don't need to strip those. Perfect project. One thing that should be made clear is that a $40 table at a yard sale or on craigslist is quite legitimately at least an $80 table in a store. If you've ever shopped on craigslist you'll know why - you shop at each item owner's convenience (and they always live in the back of beyond), while the shop owner invests quite a lot - utilities, inventory, and time - in being in the store at your convenience. In effect she's out there shopping for you. And probably gives up a percentage of the sale to the credit card company in many cases :-) Good point about making an offer so low it's insulting. Some people don't care about that but I do too, as I like to feel welcome in the store again! It's easier to lowball if an item has been on the market for a a while. But even if it has, the insult can come from both the number itself, and in how you do it. What I usually do with an overpriced item on craigslist is to say that I am interested, but I don't think I could pay more than $xxx, but I'm absolutely not in a rush so if they want to wait and see if they can get their price they're welcome to do that. Some variant of that could work. Given all the factors you've mentioned, I wouldn't be embarrassed to go as high as the $100 range, or whatever would leave you still feeling good. If the leg is truly broken (I can't see that), that would maybe take it down a notch. KarinL PS a cabinet scraper might do a better job than a sander on the top, and doesn't make so much dust. Here is a link that might be useful: example of a specialty caster store

Those are sometimes referred to as blanket chests. One use was to store wool blankets. The aromatic box or its lining repelled moths. When the smell faded, it could be replenished by treating the interior with aromatic oils or placing a vial of aromatic oil with a porous lid in the box. An alternative was moth balls. I like the decorations! Those are detailed and plentiful, and appear to be in good condition. Some of the scenes may have been created by adding pieces of wood rather than carving the scene from one piece of wood. One way to detect if a separate piece was inserted is to examine the grain. If a scene was carved from one piece of wood, the wood grain will be continuous across the entire scene. If pieces of weed were inserted, there will breaks in the grain pattern when moving from one piece of wood to another.

Sorry...here is the picture Here is a link that might be useful: