Furniture, Wood and Cabinetry Finishing - Sealer for antique dining table

We have just purchased a very cute antique Louis XV style dining set and have two finish questions...first, the table top is covered unevenly in a dull, tacky, waxy film that lifts off when scratched and leaves fingerprints when you touch it. We would like to remove this and seal the top with something, since we are using this table daily.
Next, we noticed a considerable scratch before purchasing, and after pointing it out to the merchant, they tried to camouflage it with a furniture pen and I believe some aggressive buffing, so I'm not sure if the very obvious oval mark around the scratch is the wax that they removed in this process, or if they removed some of the finish.
Any advice on removing the wax, repairing the finish, if it is indeed damaged, and sealing the table top from everyday use would be immensely appreciated!

Thank You! Beryl and Sergio

If it is a real antique, STOP, don't do anything until you consult a qualified local expert.

If it is not an authentic antique, it sounds like a wax finish and can be removed with an ammonia based cleaner. Try a hidden spot first to see how things react. Any other type of solvent may dissolve the finish, so caution is the word.

I'm assuming that your question indicates that you want to use this table and are not concerned about any antique value it may have. If that's true, I'd strip the finish off and refinish with a few coats of polyurethane.

The set is a genuine antique, but we will use it daily, so the true value to us is its perfect size in our tiny kitchen. We are not concerned with devaluing it by refinishing the table top, but rather with protecting the top from further damage.

Someone suggested removing the wax with mineral spirits and following that with a water based polyurathane. Mitch17, would you agree?

The mineral spirits would work for the wax, but I'd make sure the top looks good before adding poly.