Autograph Authentication Report
2024 Mutagen Canister Kids Stickers Open Edition - Artist Mark Pingitore Auto · #19a
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 three-part form: zigzag 'M' with tall entry, looped 'P' body, then a low 'gt' finishing into a long horizontal tail. Slightly taller relative to width. | R1, R2, R3, R6 show the same three-part form with a zigzag M, looped P and long trailing finish. R4, R5 and R8 are more abbreviated versions. | Match |
| Slant and baseline | Near-upright uprights with a slightly descending overall line, measured relative to the signature's own axis on a vertically signed card. | Mostly near-upright with a level to slightly varying baseline. R5 and R4 are more angled. | Match |
| Letter construction | M formed as a rapid sawtooth stroke, P as a tall stem with an open loop, and a terminal 't' cross merged into the long tail. | Same sawtooth M and looped P construction in R1, R2, R6 and R8. R7 has a more elongated M. | Match |
| Connecting strokes | M is separate from P. P flows into the trailing letters with minimal lifts. | Same break after M and flowing P-to-tail connection in R1, R2, R3 and R6. | Match |
| Starting and ending strokes | Tapered entry on the M. Long, fast, tapered horizontal exit stroke. | Tapered entries and long horizontal finishing strokes in R1, R2 and R6. Shorter finishes in R4 and R5. | Match |
| Line quality and speed | Fluid and fast with no visible tremor, hesitation or blunt stops at this resolution. | All references are fast, confident and abbreviated. | Match |
| Pen pressure pattern | Heavier on downstrokes, lighter on the tail. Moderate thickness variation. | Similar downstroke emphasis. Variation differs with marker type and surface. | Natural variation |
| Spacing | Small gap between M and P. Trailing letters compressed. | Comparable spacing in R1, R2 and R6. | Match |
| Flourishes and underlines | No underline; the long terminal tail acts as the flourish. | Same in R1 and R6. No underlines in any reference. | Match |
| Placement and size | Signed vertically along the right margin over the artwork, sized to the card edge. | Reference crops show signatures over artwork on similar sticker stock. Placement varies by card. | 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 | -3.2° | -16.2–0.3° | In range | |
| Overall writing angle | -2.3° | -2.3–2.1° | In range | |
| Height to width | 0.24 | 0.16–0.209 | In range | |
| Ink travel per unit width | 2.86× | 2.3–5.23× | In range | |
| Stroke thickness variation | 0.429 | 0.394–0.665 | In range | |
| Closed loops | 8 | 11.0–96.0 | In range | |
| Separate strokes | 20 | 5.0–25.0 | In range |
Our software traced the ink and compared seven features with six of Pingitore's reference signatures. Every feature landed within the range his own signatures normally vary. The upright slant was almost exactly his average, and the overall writing angle was well within his usual range. The height-to-width ratio was the furthest from average, but still normal, which fits a signature written vertically along the card edge. The four photo-sensitive features (ink travel, stroke thickness variation, closed loops and number of separate strokes) were also normal, though they are given less weight because lighting and pen type affect them. Taken together, the numbers support the visual finding that this signature is consistent with Mark Pingitore's.
Examiner notes
Our card is a 2024 Mutagen Canister Kids sticker, an open-edition artist auto from Mark Pingitore's own Magic Marker Art line. All references come from the same family of contemporary (circa 2020s) artist-signed sticker and card releases: Nintendopes, Horrorible Kids Series 9 and Slop Culture Kids. Era drift should be minimal. Remaining differences are best explained by surface (glossy sticker stock), pen (blue vs black felt/paint marker) and signing orientation. Ours was signed vertically along the right edge of the card.
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.
