On Saturday, March 24, 2018 at 4:59:57 PM UTC-7, JBI wrote:
I have a 1940's wooden box with nice finish that was used to store a
scientific instrument. The problem is that someone kept taping over the
lid ...

There have been a lot of different masking tapes since 1940.
Solvents that won't harm the wood-box finish include waterless
hand cleaner, and maybe (odorless) paint thinner, but NOT alcohol (it
would take off shellac). Anything brittle can be carefully scraped,
a razor scraper might be useful, just control the edge so
it does't dig into the wood.

Boiled linseed oil is a safe way to cover any dull spots, and a little
french polishing can make an old finish new again.