Autograph Authentication Report
2024 Mutagen Canister Kids Stickers Open Edition - Artist Mark Pingitore Auto · #44b
Findings
Signature comparison
This card. The signature as cropped from the slab photo (front).
Below, the known examples Crown compared it with. Examples with stronger proof (signed in front of staff, or certified by an independent authenticator) carry the most weight.
Feature by feature
| Feature | This card | Known examples | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overall form and proportions | Compact, tightly bunched cluster of blue strokes. It appears to be signed at a steep angle or near-vertical across the figure's chest and leg. The letter forms are hard to separate. | A horizontal, abbreviated 'M Pgt'-style form: a wide multi-peaked cursive M, a gap, then a tall P with a short trailing body and a crossing stroke. Width is about 3–4x height. R7 shows a more degraded, abbreviated version. | Not assessable |
| Slant and baseline | The baseline seems rotated well off horizontal, likely following the figure's body. True slant cannot be measured reliably from the crop. | Mostly horizontal baseline with a slight rightward slant (R1, R2, R5, R8). | Not assessable |
| Letter construction | Zigzag peaked strokes suggestive of the multi-peaked 'M'. Possible looped or upright stroke suggestive of the 'P' stem. Overlap with the background art prevents confident identification. | Consistent 'M' made of 3–4 sharp peaks with a looped entry. 'P' is a tall stem with a bowl, followed by a flat or crossing 't'-like terminal. | Natural variation |
| Connecting strokes | Strokes appear continuous within clusters, with few visible lifts. The connection between the M group and the P group is unclear. | The M is written as one connected unit. A pen lift then precedes the P group (visible in R1, R3, R8). | Not assessable |
| Starting and ending strokes | No obvious blunt starts or stops in the visible portion. Terminals appear tapered or quick, but resolution is limited. | Quick, tapered entries and exits. Ending often a flat horizontal crossing stroke. | Not assessable |
| Line quality and speed | Strokes look fluid and fast, with no visible tremor or drawn quality at this resolution. | Fast, confident marker strokes throughout. | Match |
| Pen pressure pattern | Some variation in ink density along strokes, with lighter and darker sections. | Variable density typical of a felt or paint marker on glossy stock (R1, R7, R8 show similar blue marker behavior). | Natural variation |
| Spacing | Tightly compressed. Little separation between letter groups is visible. | Clear gap between the M group and the P group in most references. | Not assessable |
| Flourishes and underlines | None identifiable. | No underline or paraph used in any reference. | Match |
| Placement and size | Placed over the figure's torso and leg on the art side, in blue marker, moderately large relative to the sticker. | Placement on references is over the artwork and varies between pieces. Blue and black markers are both used. | Natural variation |
Examiner notes
Ours is on a 2024 Mutagen Canister Kids open-edition sticker (#44b), so it is contemporary with the references. R2–R6 and R8 are Nintendopes open-edition stickers, R7 is a Slop Culture Kids sticker, and R1 is a Horrorible Kids Series 9 card. These are all Magic Marker Art releases from roughly the same recent period, so career-era drift should not account for differences. Surface (glossy sticker stock over dark, busy art) and marker type explain most of the variation in line width and ink tone across the set.
How Crown authenticates autographs: the signature is compared with known examples gathered from Crown's own authenticated cards, independent authenticators and public listings, measured by software, examined by an AI forensic model, and signed off by Crown Grading staff. The decision above is Crown's.
