I'd like to offer my thanks to the various contributors, greatly appreciated. I think that I have gained enough information to be comfortable with my tick-list of black hubs, spoke carriers and spokes (9-gauge), plain chromed rims and chomed/nickel nipples (brass).
Yes, those earlier pictures were deceptive with the 'shiny dimples', perhaps a good illustration of dark-field v. bright-field lighting.
Moon landings? That made me smile. Hmm, that's an extremely long, and an extremely curious off-topic!!