You might find: flaps that don’t hang perfectly on a drop-leaf table. Wood shrinks over time -- you want to find that. Old hinges should fit imperfectly on tops that have shrunk over the years. Wear should be appropriate to use: A drop-leaf table would probably get more use and abuse than a pier table.
Steer clear of: embellishments, such as inlay, carving, or metal decoration, that were added later. A simple piece should stay that way, but in today's market embellishment is a very frequent alteration. Consider the proportions and motifs. Are they consistent with the style of the time?
