You can make it shiny again.
I'd remove the plate and bondo it onto a piece of wood. Then with sanding blocks, use emery paper. I'd start with 180 or so and work my way down to finer paper (240, 280, 320, 400). Then hit it with brasso and a rag.
Mind you, you will be thinning the brass.
I'd rather live with the scratches and skipping the emery paper, just polish it with Brasso and a cotton rag.