Brass Patination -- Desirable or Not?  

clean it,I get lots of brass...
clean it,I get lots of brass polished every year it always looks so much better when you get it back.

Nelson clocks-NO Polish
because from what I understand,the spires on the ball clock are actually Zinc,and you wouldn't want to rub off the patina.

I just judge it by the...
I just judge it by the piece, my folks like Edwardian stuff and its better left unpolished I think whereas my stuff I polish, you could allways clear coat it but that makes me uncomfortable, besides polishing is fun...though I'm sure it wasn't a sought after servants job!

Your guide
is the original design: was the piece made bright, or patinated ?
Lot's of Arts and Crafts-era pieces (for instance) lost their original patina (and most of their value) when they were polished by well-meaning owners or their employees.
All other things being equal, I expect most modern-era pieces to be brushed or clear-finished brass. . .

I always advocate a ...
I always advocate a nice clean look for ever thing!!! I tell people just cause it it old it does not have to look old and crappy

I won't
send you my 1904 Robert Jarvie candlesticks, then. Well, I can't because they were stolen a long tome ago !

. . .and they're
probably sitting on someone's mantle right now, all shined up, that original bronzy-dull patination long gone.

A house full of shiny...
A house full of shiny things? Makes my eyes bleed.
Everything light bright and white is where a lot of western design falls down, Easterers handle shadow and light with more sophistication than we usually do, I think.

ITS BEST
to follow the original design esp in cases of expensive stuff.SDR knows and points out, the arts and crafts era & aesthetic movement was big/keen on many types of patinization.I allow much of my stuff dull down.The mid century 50s trend in general was bright shine and the 60s 70s was shine as well.

.
I abhor that finish they put on brass to keep it bright.

Thanks for the replies guys...
Thanks for the replies guys -- I tried using a bit of Brasso on the inside of the planter and, welp, it appears the things simply got a brass coating as I managed to rub it off on a small portion. So I'm leaving it. It's beautiful in some areas and hideous in other, more prominent, areas. C'est la vie. I guess when you brass-plate something, you kind of dictate whether or not it can be polished...

Yeah, solid
materials rule. Plating is always a compromise, and (as az says) the clear coatings suck.