Question on pressing

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Posted By: jverri01 

Recently, I have started looking more closely at cards to determine whether they have (ever) been pressed. It seems like, after a long hiatus, pressing has started to become "popular" again, all of a sudden. Recently, I have seen some really bad examples - so obvious it makes my bladder hurt. Anyway, it is also often difficult to determine if a card is pressed - as so many unaltered cards sometimes appear to be pressed. Even under magnification it's tough to be sure. Anyone have any tried and true methods of detection for those examples that could "go either way"? Recently, I paid good money for a very clean card that I thought was in no way altered. Naturally, though, PSA sent it back, and, yup, after I looked REAL close - was likely pressed. I just don't get it though. Usually, the cards I see that have been likely ptressed are just stupid cards to have pressed. They aren't hundred thousand dollar cards that someone wanted to get a few hundred thou more for - they've all been "asthetically-challenged" so to speak. You know - $5.00 specials. Here's what I think is a good example of a lower-end card that was likely pressed at some point, and has "incurred" additional creasing/wrinkling after the fact. Thoughts on this? I would really like to hear some techniques of detection from those of you with more experience than me. I have really only started to be somewhat good at this for a few years.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=1836676772

Thanks...
James