My 1976 citori definitely has a steel trigger and a stout one at that. The gold came off muy pronto! No gold on my triggers. It has been in the white since 1985 and never tarnished or rusted, protected by a thin wipe with CLP.
If you insist on gold plating steel it is a two tier process, copper plating first because gold plating will not adhere to steel.
Some people claim they can feel the difference between steel and gold, claiming gold feels softer, thus justifying the plating procedure. It might be true for all I know.
