blueman wrote:

I am a novice at best in the world of finishing. What would you
recommend that would "do it justice" while also giving it a hard and
durable finish since the veneer is by definition thin and this will be
used in our mudroom where things will get banged around?

The basic idea is that the rays don't absorb colour as well as the
regular grain, so most stains will tend to colour the regular grain and
thus accentuate the rays. However, sometimes this makes the rays too
prominent.

For a more authentic-looking Arts&Crafts finish, "Woodworking" magazine
suggested the following:

1) power sand to 120 grit with a random orbit sander
2) hand sand to 150 grit
3) rag on Olympic Interior "Special Walnut" oil based stain, saturate
the surface
4) let sit for 15 minutes, then wipe it off
5) the next day, rag on Watco "Dark Walnut" Danish oil, saturate the surface
6) let sit for 15 minutes, then wipe it off
7) next day, rag on one coat of Zinsser Bulls Eye amber shellac

For protection, you could put poly over top of this.

It does mean more time, effort, and expense, so it's up to you whether
you think the effort is worth it.

Whatever you do, try it out on some scrap first to make sure you like
the result.

Chris