I believe they are clear coated when new. Some people remove the clear coat and polish the aluminum. The problem with that is that unless it is coated again, they will oxidize over time and require periodic re-polishing.
If you're in no hurry, start high; maybe $38 or $39k. Whatever offers you get may give you an idea of where the market for it is. Also, there's one going at Barret-Jackson soon.
My car(#14) was assigned to Bob Lamey, a long-time sportscaster from Indianapolis known as the "Voice of the Colts". He made the news last month by getting fired for making insensitive comments.
This site is mainly about the 1989 V6 Turbo Trans Am, a totally different animal than your car. I would suggest a search for "1981 Turbo Trans Am" to find an answer to your question.
Previous owner maybe. The registry shows quite a few cars with more than one owner. When a car gets sold the last owner's name usually doesn't get dropped from the list. My car still shows my name and two previous owners, as well.
The June issue of Car and Driver lists twelve cars they consider the next generation of collectibles. Among them was the 1989 20th Anniversary Trans Am. They say "Expect a breakout as values pass $40,000". Nice.
I bought a set from Rock Auto a few years ago for around $15; same part number, but no TTA lettering on them. I figure the empty box is worth what I paid.
I just went out and measured mine. Decal is 6 inches back from door edge. Bottom of letters are an inch and a half above the molding. This is from #14, a Festival Car. From all the pictures I've seen, the Festival Cars came off the truck with the decals on them, so I figure PAS probably...
It's not the first time I've dealt with them, but I was very pleased with the product and the fast shipping. I placed the order Monday afternoon, and it arrived Wednesday morning- from California to New York. BTW, for those who are curious, I got the headlight repair kit. Thanks to TDS.