Autograph Authentication Report
2024 Mutagen Canister Kids Stickers Open Edition - Artist Mark Pingitore Auto · #38b
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 | Compressed, elongated two-part signature: an angular 'M' run into a short 'k'-like form, then a 'P' run into abbreviated looped forms ending in a long horizontal crossbar. Wide and low. | R1, R2, R4 and R6 show the same two-cluster 'M-k / P-g-t' abbreviation with the same wide, low proportions. | Match |
| Slant and baseline | Near-upright downstrokes. On the card the signature runs vertically along the right edge, so the crop has a slight downward drift. | Near-upright to modest slant. Baselines are roughly level, with small drift depending on how the card was held. | Natural variation |
| Letter construction | 'M' built as a tall left stem with a sharp zigzag. 'P' has a tall stem and a small bowl. Trailing letters are reduced to loops ending in a t-cross. | Same 'M' zigzag and 'P' stem/bowl construction across R1–R8. R1 and R6 are especially close. | Match |
| Connecting strokes | 'M' flows into the following form without a lift. 'P' connects into the trailing loops. | Same connections in R1, R2, R4 and R6. | Match |
| Starting and ending strokes | Tapered entry on the 'M' stem. Ends with a long, fast horizontal crossbar that thins at the end. | References end with the same extended crossbar terminal, with tapered starts and finishes. | Match |
| Line quality and speed | Fluid and confident, with no visible tremor or hesitation. Strokes taper at their ends. | Fast, fluid marker strokes. | Match |
| Pen pressure pattern | Blue marker with natural density variation: heavier on the downstrokes, lighter on the transitions. | Similar variation in R1 (blue) and the black references. | Match |
| Spacing | A clear gap between the M-group and the P-group. | The same two-group spacing appears in all references. | Match |
| Flourishes and underlines | No underline. The extended t-crossbar is the only flourish. | No underlines. Same crossbar flourish. | Match |
| Placement and size | Written vertically along the right side of the artwork, crossing the character's cape and the background. Size is proportionate to the card. | References are placed over the artwork in varying orientations. Placement is not fixed. | Natural variation |
Measurements
Software traced the ink and measured it against the known examples. The shaded band is the signer's normal range across those examples; the gold marker is this card.
| Feature | This card | Known examples | Normal range | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Slant of upright strokes | -2.6° | -14.6–-1.5° | In range | |
| Overall writing angle | -5.1° | -1.6–2.1° | In range | |
| Height to width | 0.172 | 0.168–0.236 | In range | |
| Ink travel per unit width | 3.32× | 2.32–4.21× | In range | |
| Stroke thickness variation | 0.524 | 0.414–0.603 | In range | |
| Closed loops | 29 | 11.0–54.0 | In range | |
| Separate strokes | 5 | 7.0–18.0 | In range |
Our computer-measured features all fall within the range Pingitore shows across his own reference signatures. These are the slant of his upright strokes, the overall writing angle, and the height-to-width shape. The more photo-sensitive measures also land comfortably within his usual range: ink travel, stroke thickness variation, loop count and number of separate strokes. Our signature has somewhat fewer separate strokes than his average, but it is still inside his normal spread. Taken together, the numbers support the visual finding that this signature is consistent with Pingitore's own hand.
Examiner notes
Our card is a 2024 Mutagen Canister Kids open-edition sticker. All references are recent Pingitore artist-autograph cards (Horrorible Kids Series 9 and Nintendopes open-edition stickers), so they come from the same period and a similar signing setting. Era drift is not a factor. Differences between references in ink colour (blue vs black marker) and in background brightness are surface and pen effects.
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.
