"Court dresser" finish

The "piece of furniture" looks vaguely similar to this:

My guess is that this thing is '50s, probably later. A Small Boy
has scratched it with something. The scratches haven't scored the
timber, but have marred the somewhat matt finish. The thing seems
to be made of pale wood, with a dark stain or varnish on top. The
varnish is prone to flake, and it's flaked off where the scratches
are. It's not shellac. Neither does it appear to be polyurethane.

What is this varnish? I'm hoping that someone will have some
experience of newer "stuff" like this.

Kris Baker...

Maybe it's varnish?

Chris Bacon...

Thank you, Kris. Perhaps it's nail varnish, do you think?
On one hand I'm very glad indeed that the denizens of this
group are still handing out extremely interesting information
with grace and wit. OTOH perhaps it would be more productive
to ask the value of a "Beanie Baby", or a re-finished 1980s

rc...

The last Benie Baby I bought was priced at $1.89. That was about three
weeks ago.

pressed steel bath. Do I hear $100?

Kris Baker...

There really is a product called "varnish". Plain varnish.
When a varnish finish is exposed to direct sunlight or
gets wet, it flakes like you've described.

Kris
I'm not sure why I'm the target of your venom, when I post
a serious reply.

"Court dresser" finish - what is it?