Why do you want it appraised? If you want to sell it, ask an antiques dealer what you can expect to get for it...ask several. if it's for insurance, unless it's something very rare it's most likely not worth as much as your refrigerator....unless you have a very old refrigerator!
There are lots of appraisers in North jersey, look in the yellow pages. Some are honest, some are not. Some charge a portion of the appraised value, those are not honest, other's charge per item, those don't know much and are not thorough, others charge by the hour, those will give you the most honest appraisal and take the time to do the research when dealing with unusual items.
Linda C

leah,
I can help you by telling you it's approximate value and it's history, but I'm not a licensed appraiser.
My shop is located in Morris County. We serve NJ from about the Jersey shore to NYC,CT,Long Island and points north.
send me your e-mail and info and I will call you.
mstocknoff@yahoo.com
There is absolutly no charge .

Hi,
First look at the underside of the top and run your hand over the wood.
If you feel some smooth rippling ( not saw marks), that probably means the piece was made by planeing, since early makers did not have saws.
That will help you determine the age of the piece.
If it is American, it's most likely before 1850. However, if it is European it could be much later, since European furniture makers often carried their old technics even into the 20th century.
I should add, that American pieces retain more value than Eurpean examples.
Good Luck!

"since early makers did not have saws."
Really? All that stuff I read about 18th century woodworking tools like pit saws, bow saws, hand saws, keyhole saws isn't true? Who knew.