Furniture care - to polish or not to polish?

Just wondering what is the best way to care for antique finishes?  I did an internet search and came up with lots of various opinions but would love to hear from people here. 

I had purchased some paste wax a while back, but was horrified to find that it removed all the patina.  Good thing I tried it in an inconspicuous spot.  I later found out it was a tolune-based product which seems rather harsh for such a delicate surface.

Occasionally I have used a carnuba or beeswax based product to wax a piece, however if used it should be done sparingly.  Once a decade should be plenty in my opinion.  Avoid the use of anything with silicone in it like the plague, as you will potentially cause a nightmare for future restorers/refinishers.  This would typically include all the sprays such as Pledge or Endust.  Normally I will simply use a damp (not wet, wring out all the water first) cloth to pick up dust and have never damaged a shellac finish useing that approach.

Michael