Although it wasn't on a bingo, I had good results with Epifanes Clear Gloss Varnish on my ball trough wood and pf sides. These areas get beat up by balls and mine still look new. Glossy & deep, but not that plasticized/embalmed look. It should work great on legs & rails and anything else.

This is professional grade marine spar varnish (urethane, tung oil & UV filters). It may be overkill, but if you're doing the work, I believe it's worth doing as well as possible. I do a lot of woodworking and I've noticed a definite quality difference between brands. You get what you pay for - it's awful seeing your hard work (MinWax) peeling off after just a few years...

Agreed - stain matching is an art. And even if you match it well NOW, it may not color-age the same as the other wood, so best to avoid it altogether, IMO.

I chose a traditional varnish so it would impart an amber color, as opposed to a non-yellowing finish - after sanding my 50-years-old maple woodwork to remove (some) blemishes, it was a bit lighter in color than the other playfield wood. The Epifanes varnish brought it back to a perfect color match - no stain needed. It would have been jarring to have different colors side by side.

I look forward to refinishing an entire woodrail bingo with this stuff some day!

Lewis's Bowlette trim looks pretty nice after his reflowing treatment. I'd certainly try that if the wood was in acceptable shape. "Authentic" is in the eye of the beholder though (conservation vs restoration). I prefer fewer dings.