What might cause a trim tag to look like this?
A corrosive chemical.
Maybe hit with a sandblaster of some type
Pretty selective for a sandblaster or media blaster to deform only the lines it did. Maybe an attempt at hiding something, body sequence number and paint codes ?
Steve
almost looks like a dent... semi-circle under the rivet... maybe hit by the engine being installed(not at factory)
I've seen pics that just wash out the details like that, but it's still on the tag.