Pall Mall needs a little buffing these days

[Xiao_Lai]

I just read an article on The New York Times "Birth of an Artist; Rebirth of a City".
I don't uite understand the phrase:
"Some of the brass outside the clubs on Pall Mall needs a little buffing these days, a minor sign of something maybe, but London is still prosperous"
What does buffing stand for here. Besides, what does the author want to express in the whole passage.
Thanks! By the way, I would appreciate if anyone who can help correct my err/inpropriety/miss usage in my writing this post.
xiao_lai from Taiwan

[Cerberus™]

Buffing means polishing here: the fact that the brass around those clubs hasn't been polished very well is a sign that the economic crisis has affected London; that's how I'd interpret this quotation.

[HamburgEnglish]

Buffing is a little more than polishing. Buffing normally means to get a good shine!

Rob
http://www.hamburg-english.de
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[Cerberus™]

I don't quite see the difference. Note that the verb "to polish" is a more frequent collocation with silver and brass than "to buff".

[HamburgEnglish]

Think about your shoes Cerberus or even your car. first you polish, then you buff to a shine.