Beautiful! Maybe species of wood isnt particularly valuable but the profile is lovely and you went through all that work to remove the paint.. Get a heavy bodied stain that sits more on the surfac rather than a "penetrating" stain which is absorbed in and accentuates the grain + all the flaws and variations in color. Could be a gel stain, or the common brands (varathane, minwax, gen finishes, old masters etc) will have a version thats not quite as heavy as a gel stain but heavier than a penetrating stain and can conceal flaws and even out color pretty well. If you prefer natural unstained look you could choose a stain color thats not dark, but more of a midtone or light . Be sure to EXPERIMENT with scrapes of same species wood first!!!! You should post this over on the woodworking forum - if you ask about whether to paint on a paint forum you are likely to get only "yes" for an answer!

I would try the clear. At least two coats. If you decide you dont like it, you can always prime it and repaint it. Its definitely worth a try.

I wouldn't let the color variations deter me in clear coating.

I'll bet they'll look a lot better and more uniform with a coat of finish on them. Wipe down with denatured alcohol to get a preview. A first coat of dewaxed garnet shellac will probably even them up quite a lot, then you can topcoat with pretty much any oil or water-based clear varnish. I'd probably pick Target EM2000vwx water based varnish for trim.

" These spots will stand out like they do in this image. You might try coloring them individually to help them disappear. "

Actually the filler will stand out much worse than that. Sound advice on the filling method from PPF.

such wonderful suggestions. i’m feeling a bit more optimistic. i actually didn’t fill any of those nail heads. i read somewhere that i should pull the nails from the backs of the boards to prevent filling holes and extra work. they lied to me, but im up for the task. thanks again!!!

Maybe when you put the trim back up, you can use the existing nail holes, and then get a jar of colored wood putty from the hardware store, to fill them once you set the nails.

Yes, you should pull the nails from the back. It doesnt prevent having to fill holes, if you are not using them again, but, it does keep from splitting the front side of your trim.

I occasionally take extra steps to make new wood appear old and abused. Believe it or not, people are pleased to pay the added labor. If the goal was to look new, it would have been cheaper to replace this trim being discussed.

originally the goal was to repaint. however the trim in the dining room came out so even, i changed my mind. i just wasn’t expecting the trim in the foyer to be so drastically different.i don’t mind the distressed look it add charm to this old house. besides its perfectly good wood and i have spent so much time cleaning and scraping its getting used ine way or another.

You are to be commended for an outstanding job striping.