With all the emphasis being put on reasearching correct finishes, whether it be paint or plating, I would think that if the trim is supposed to be anodized, then it should be anodized for a judged car. You can immediately tell the difference between a polished finish and anodized finish. The problem is when a car owner gets caught up in quality & finish perfection. Let's face it, the anodized trim as it came on your car when it was new was not flawless by any means.
Here is a great example: Back in the 80's I installed all new GM aluminum trim on my 68 (grille trim, wheel opening moldings, rocker moldings). The car was driven regularly until it was torn apart for restoration in the 90's. I wanted everything to look perfect, so I took all of this trim to a metal restoration shop and had it restored & polished. It just didn't look right. The finish was just too shiny, and every little imperfection or scratch stood out like a sore thumb. I ended up tossing most of it and I went on a hunt for good GM NOS parts. I was lucky to find most of the parts I needed as NOS, but more importantly I was able to find parts that had a very good finish & anodizing for GM parts. They are not perfect, but they look (and are) correct.
