Autograph Authentication Report
2024 Mutagen Canister Kids Stickers Open Edition - Artist Mark Pingitore Auto · #17a
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 'M' followed by a compressed 'P' form and a long horizontal terminal stroke; low, wide signature. | R1-R8 all show the same abbreviated structure: angular M, compact P/g cluster, long trailing horizontal finish. Height-to-width falls in the same range. | Match |
| Slant and baseline | Near-upright strokes with a slight left lean; essentially level baseline. | Mostly near-upright with slight left lean (R1, R4, R6, R7); level baselines throughout. | Match |
| Letter construction | M built as a quick zigzag of descending/ascending strokes. P has an open bowl, and the descending stroke drops into the 'gt' cluster. | Same zigzag M in R1, R4, R6, R7. P bowl and descender handled similarly in R1 and R4. Bowl closure varies across references. | Natural variation |
| Connecting strokes | Separate M block, then a pen-lift before the P cluster; the P-to-finish segment runs continuously. | Same two-block grouping with a lift between M and P in R1, R2, R4, R6, R7. | Match |
| Starting and ending strokes | Tapered entry on the M; the long horizontal exit stroke tapers off to the right. | Long tapered horizontal exit is a constant feature (R1, R4, R5 especially). | Match |
| Line quality and speed | Fluid, confident marker lines with no visible tremor or hesitation at this resolution. | Fast, fluid lines throughout. | Match |
| Pen pressure pattern | Moderate density variation, lighter on the fast exit stroke, consistent with felt/paint marker. | Similar variation. R5 shows skipping on gloss; R1 and R4 use similar blue marker. | Natural variation |
| Spacing | Tight spacing within the M and P groups, with a gap between groups. | Same grouping and spacing pattern. | Match |
| Flourishes and underlines | No underline; long horizontal finishing stroke serves as the flourish. | No underlines; same horizontal finishing flourish. | Match |
| Placement and size | Signed vertically along the right side of the artwork, over the printed image, in blue marker. | References are cropped, so orientation on the card cannot be confirmed. Artist autos on these stickers are typically placed freely over the art. | 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 | -2.8° | -13.3–-0.1° | In range | |
| Overall writing angle | -1.0° | -1.8–0.3° | In range | |
| Height to width | 0.2 | 0.16–0.252 | In range | |
| Ink travel per unit width | 2.2× | 2.28–4.31× | In range | |
| Stroke thickness variation | 0.51 | 0.429–0.697 | In range | |
| Closed loops | 6 | 21.0–49.0 | Edge of range | |
| Separate strokes | 12 | 9.0–23.0 | In range |
The measurements compare the shape of this signature to six reference signatures by the same artist. The slant, overall angle and height-to-width proportions are all well within his normal range. The photo-sensitive measures of ink travel, stroke thickness variation and number of separate strokes are also normal. The one outlier is the closed-loop count, which is lower than in the references. That measure depends heavily on photo resolution and how the marker ink fills in, so it calls for a closer look rather than indicating a problem. Overall, the numbers support the visual finding that this signature fits Mark Pingitore's known hand.
Examiner notes
Our signature is on a 2024 Mutagen Canister Kids sticker (No. 17a). All eight references are recent Magic Marker Art / Nintendopes / Horrorible Kids / Slop Culture artist-auto issues from the same general period, so no meaningful era drift is expected. Differences in letter detail are best explained by surface (gloss sticker stock vs card), marker type, and signing speed.
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.
