Autograph Authentication Report
2024 Mutagen Canister Kids Stickers Open Edition - Artist Mark Pingitore Auto · #13a
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 abbreviated signature: a zigzag 'M' unit, then a large looped 'P' with a trailing 't'-type crossbar. Written vertically up the right edge of the art. | R1–R7 show the same two-unit 'M ... P-t' abbreviation, with the 'M' as a fast zigzag and the 'P' followed by a compressed tail and crossbar. | Match |
| Slant and baseline | Near-upright once the vertical placement is corrected for, with a fairly level baseline. | Mostly near-upright to modestly slanted, with level to slightly rising baselines (R1, R4, R7). | Match |
| Letter construction | The 'M' is built as angular peaks with a short hooked lead-in. The 'P' has a tall stem and an open bowl that runs into the tail. | Same angular zigzag 'M' and tall-stemmed 'P' with an open bowl flowing into a loop or tail (R1, R3, R4, R7). | Match |
| Connecting strokes | A gap between the 'M' unit and the 'P' unit; the 'P' connects continuously into its tail. | The same break between the units and a continuous 'P'-to-tail stroke in R1–R7. | Match |
| Starting and ending strokes | Tapered start on the 'M'. Ends in a crossing stroke over the tail with a light taper. | Tapered entries, and a terminal crossbar or dash over the end (R1, R4, R6, R7). | Match |
| Line quality and speed | Fluid, confident strokes at this resolution, with no visible tremor or hesitation. | Fast, fluid strokes across all references. | Match |
| Pen pressure pattern | Blue marker with moderate width variation and some lighter, skipping areas consistent with marker on a glossy sticker surface. | Similar marker width variation. R1, R3 and R7 are also blue. | Natural variation |
| Spacing | The two units are moderately spaced, with the tail compressed. | Comparable spacing, varying with the space available on the card. | Natural variation |
| Flourishes and underlines | No underline; only the terminal crossbar. | No underlines; terminal crossbar or dash. | Match |
| Placement and size | Signed vertically along the right side over the card art, mid-size. | References are signed horizontally over art; their 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 | -2.8° | -15.8–-1.4° | In range | |
| Overall writing angle | -3.1° | -3.7–2.1° | In range | |
| Height to width | 0.19 | 0.168–0.242 | In range | |
| Ink travel per unit width | 4.51× | 2.32–6.18× | In range | |
| Stroke thickness variation | 0.448 | 0.396–0.643 | In range | |
| Closed loops | 34 | 9.0–128.0 | In range | |
| Separate strokes | 6 | 5.0–19.0 | In range |
The software measured seven features of the signature and compared them with how much Pingitore's own reference signatures vary. These were the slant of upright strokes, the overall writing angle, the height-to-width shape, ink travel, stroke thickness variation, closed loops and the number of separate strokes. Every feature landed in the normal range. The closest to the edges were the stroke count (1.4 spreads from his average) and thickness variation (0.9), both well inside his usual variation. The three most reliable features are slant (-2.8°), writing angle (-3.1°) and proportions (0.19). All three sit close to his average. Overall, the numbers support the visual finding that this signature fits Pingitore's normal hand. They cannot by themselves prove the ink is hand-applied rather than printed.
Examiner notes
Our signature is on a 2024 Mutagen Canister Kids open-edition artist auto sticker, so it is a current-era signature. R2–R7 are the same artist's Nintendopes open-edition sticker autos and R1 is a Horrorible Kids Series 9 auto card. All appear to be the same contemporary period (roughly 2023–2024), so era drift is not a factor. R8 is an undated JSA-certified print. Its crop is too small and faint to place in an era.
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.
