Simple fact is you cannot tell without playing the record.
I bought a supposedly "pristine" Japanese pressing of Genesis Trick of the Tail from an EBay seller who claimed to have a $10K trurntable and associated arm/cart, a VPI album cleaning system which was used before every playback, etc etc. The surface of the vinyl looked pristine. But on playback the sound was flat, dark, and lacked transient detail. My US Atco versions of the same album sounded orders of magnitude better. Sent it back for a refund.
In another case I bought a 1st pressing of Blind Faith, British pressing. Surfaces where lightly scratched and scuffed profusely. Sound was pristine. So looks don't mean squat, unless you know the owner and know for certain how much the LP was played and on what equipment.
I bought a supposedly "pristine" Japanese pressing of Genesis Trick of the Tail from an EBay seller who claimed to have a $10K trurntable and associated arm/cart, a VPI album cleaning system which was used before every playback, etc etc. The surface of the vinyl looked pristine. But on playback the sound was flat, dark, and lacked transient detail. My US Atco versions of the same album sounded orders of magnitude better. Sent it back for a refund.
In another case I bought a 1st pressing of Blind Faith, British pressing. Surfaces where lightly scratched and scuffed profusely. Sound was pristine. So looks don't mean squat, unless you know the owner and know for certain how much the LP was played and on what equipment.