Is the wheel painted glossy or the plastic polished?

Depends opn the year and wheel type but most are injection molded in solid cast plastic through and through in the color you see, this cast finish is a dull "as cast" shine but not very shiny. Most of the brighter looking "shine" you see comes from years of hands sliding and polishing the plastic.

Thanks I have a 68 dart black wheel. I see some that have been restored that had a lot of sheen.

'68-'69 steering wheels when new were not as shiny as the earlier wheels, definitely not high gloss. Also, their horn buttons or rings were a less-reflective plating, as required by Gov't standards for those years.

Thanks guys for the info.