Autograph Authentication Report
2024 Mutagen Canister Kids Stickers Open Edition - Artist Mark Pingitore Auto · #25a
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 | Abbreviated two-part signature: an angular zigzag 'M' initial, then a 'P' with a tall stem and loop, finished by a 't'-like crossed terminal. Compact, roughly 3–4x wider than tall in the rotated crop. | All eight show the same abbreviated structure: angular multi-peak 'M/N' initial, a separated 'P' with a tall stem and closed or open bowl, and a terminal with a horizontal cross. | Match |
| Slant and baseline | Signed sideways on the card. Once rotated, the baseline is fairly level with a mild upward right slant on the stems. | Mostly level to slightly rising baselines with a right-leaning stem in the 'P'. R6 and R8 are a bit more erratic. | Natural variation |
| Letter construction | Initial built as sharp peaks with no rounding. 'P' stem drawn as a tall downstroke with a bowl that flows into the following strokes. | Sharp-peaked initial (R1, R2, R4, R7 clearest) and a tall-stemmed 'P' whose bowl leads into the terminal (R1, R5, R7). | Match |
| Connecting strokes | Gap or pen lift between the initial and the 'P' group. The 'P' group is continuous into the terminal. | Same lift between initial and surname group in all references. The surname group is written mostly in one movement. | Match |
| Starting and ending strokes | Initial begins with a short lead-in hook. The signature ends with a horizontal cross or flick to the right. No blunt ends visible at this resolution. | Lead-in hook on the initial (R1, R3, R4). Terminal horizontal cross or flick (R1, R4, R7, R8). | Match |
| Line quality and speed | Appears fluent, with tapering on some strokes. The crop is low-resolution and blurry, so fine tremor or hesitation cannot be ruled out. | Fast, fluent marker strokes throughout. | Natural variation |
| Pen pressure pattern | Blue marker with some density variation along the strokes in the full photo; lighter at the stroke ends. | Marker with moderate density variation. Heavier on the downstrokes in R2 and R5. | Not assessable |
| Spacing | Moderate gap between the initial and the surname group. The surname group is compact. | Similar moderate gap and compact surname group. | Match |
| Flourishes and underlines | None beyond the terminal cross stroke. | None beyond the terminal cross stroke. | Match |
| Placement and size | Placed vertically along the right side over the artwork, beside the character's head and body. Medium size relative to the card. | Reference crops show placement over the art on the stickers. Orientation of the references cannot be determined from the crops. | Natural variation |
| Reproduction indicators | Ink appears to sit over the printed art with uneven density. No halftone dot pattern is visible at this resolution. Placement differs from a centered facsimile layout. | N/A | Not assessable |
Examiner notes
Our card is the 2024 Mutagen Canister Kids Stickers Open Edition No. 25a, an artist-signed sticker from Mark Pingitore's own Magic Marker Art releases. R2–R8 are Nintendopes Stickers Open Edition artist autos, a sister indie release from the same period (about 2023–2024). R1 is a Horrorible Kids Series 9 autograph card from the same artist and broadly the same era. All references are contemporaneous with ours, so era drift is minimal. Remaining differences mostly reflect marker type, sticker surface and signing orientation: ours was signed vertically along the right edge.
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.
