Help with Wood Finishing Choices

Hi, I have just purchased a hand-carved wooden chessmen from a local craftman yesterday. The carvings are pretty good, but I think the finishing could have been done better. The original finishing is a thin layer of lacquer. I want to have a thick glossy look as if the piece is covered in a thin film of glass. I also want the coating to be durable from frequent use. Any idea how I may do this? I am thinking of applying the coating on top of the existing finishing if possible. Any recommendation what kind of wood finishing I should choose? Thanks.

Just win it on a raffle at a big tourney where it comes with all that stuff like I did lol.

High gloss varathane (i.e. not the satin or semigloss variety)? If you paid serious bucks for it, you might also want to check out a decent woodworking forum for suggestions. Or ask the guy you got it from...

Thanks for the replies. I'll check in the woodworking forum as well. Meanwhile, keep the suggestions coming.