Autograph Authentication Report
2024 Mutagen Canister Kids Stickers Open Edition - Artist Mark Pingitore Auto · #30b
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 two-part signature: angular 'M' plus looped 'l' group, a gap, then a 'P' group ending in a long rightward 't'-type crossbar. Written along the card's right edge, rotated about 90°. | R1, R3, R5, R6 and R8 show the same two-group structure: a zigzag 'M'/'l' cluster, then a 'P...t' cluster with an extended horizontal finishing stroke. | Match |
| Slant and baseline | Mildly right-leaning uprights with a fairly level baseline relative to the signature's own axis. | Range from near-upright (R5, R6) to more inclined (R1, R8). The baseline is generally level to slightly rising. | Natural variation |
| Letter construction | Pointed, angular 'M' peaks flowing into a tall narrow 'l' loop. The 'P' is a tall stem with a compact bowl, followed by a simplified 'gt' that resolves into a crossbar. | Same angular 'M' and narrow 'l' (R1, R3, R8). The 'P' has a long downstroke and small bowl (R1, R5, R8). The tail is simplified into a crossbar (R1, R5, R7, R8). | Match |
| Connecting strokes | 'M' and 'l' are connected. There is a lift before 'P', and the 'P' to tail run is continuous. | Same lift between the two name groups, with internal connections inside each group, across R1, R3, R5 and R8. | Match |
| Starting and ending strokes | Quick entry into the 'M'. The long terminal crossbar tapers out to the right. | R1, R5 and R8 show the same long tapered terminal crossbar. R6 ends with a shorter, firmer stroke. | Match |
| Line quality and speed | Smooth, confident curves with tapered terminals. No visible tremor or hesitation at this resolution. | Fast, fluid marker strokes throughout (R1, R8 clearest). | Match |
| Pen pressure pattern | Heavier on downstrokes and the 'P' stem, lighter on terminal strokes. Some sheen on the blue ink. | A similar heavy-down, light-out pattern is visible in R1, R5 and R8. R4 shows a skipping marker on glossy stock. | Match |
| Spacing | Clear gap between the 'M' group and the 'P' group. | The same inter-name gap appears in all legible references. | Match |
| Flourishes and underlines | No underline. The finishing crossbar serves as the flourish. | No underlines. The crossbar is the main flourish. | Match |
| Placement and size | Placed vertically along the right side over the purple background, clear of the main character art. Moderate size. | References are crops, so their orientation on the item is not visible. The artist commonly signs over background areas of his sticker art. | Not assessable |
| Reproduction indicators | Ink appears to sit on top of the printed purple field, with color and sheen distinct from the print. No halftone dots are visible in the strokes at this resolution. | Not applicable. | Not assessable |
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 | -6.2° | -12.3–0.5° | In range | |
| Overall writing angle | -0.1° | -9.0–2.0° | In range | |
| Height to width | 0.312 | 0.169–0.394 | In range | |
| Ink travel per unit width | 3.75× | 2.44–6.25× | In range | |
| Stroke thickness variation | 0.507 | 0.428–0.611 | In range | |
| Closed loops | 11 | 19.0–47.0 | In range | |
| Separate strokes | 13 | 8.0–12.0 | In range |
Our software measured seven features of the signature's ink: slant, overall angle, height-to-width shape, how much ink travels across its width, stroke thickness variation, loop count and stroke count. It compared them against the three cleanest reference signatures (R1, R3 and R8). Every feature fell within the normal range of variation seen in the artist's own signatures. The shape-related measures were especially close: slant, angle and proportions sat within half of a normal spread of his average. Loop and stroke counts were a bit further out, at 1.6 spreads. Those two counts are sensitive to photo quality and were still within his normal range. Overall, the numbers support the visual finding that this signature fits his writing. They cannot by themselves prove the ink is live rather than printed.
Examiner notes
Ours is on a 2024 Mutagen Canister Kids open-edition sticker, the same recent period and product family as the references (Nintendopes open-edition stickers, Magic Marker Art Slop Culture/Horrorible Kids). All are contemporary 2020s artist-signed stickers or cards, so no meaningful era gap is expected. Surface (glossy sticker stock over colored art) and felt/marker pen width vary across the set and explain most visual differences.
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.
