Autograph Authentication Report
2021 Nintendopes Stickers Open Edition - Artist Mark Pingitore Auto · #41a
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: a zigzag 'M' with a trailing looped stroke, then 'P' plus compressed 'gt' ending in a long horizontal crossbar. It is long and low; measured height-to-width is 0.227. | R1, R2, R3, R4, R8 show the same two-cluster layout: zigzag M-group, gap, then P-group with an extended terminal bar. Measured references run 0.181–0.234 height-to-width. | Match |
| Slant and baseline | Near-upright strokes (−2.7°) on a slightly declining writing line (−2.8°). Signed vertically along the card's left edge, so read rotated. | Upright slant −3.1° to −1.1° with a mildly declining line (−1.8° to −0.9°) on R2, R4, R8; visually the same in R1 and R3. | Match |
| Letter construction | The 'M' is built as a sharp up-down-up zigzag rather than rounded humps, followed by a small looped 'l'-like stroke. The 'P' is a tall stem with a compact bowl. The 'g/t' is reduced to a small form crossed by a long bar. | The identical zigzag M and small loop appear in R1, R2, R3, R4, R8. The P-stem-plus-bowl and the reduced 'gt' with a long crossbar appear in R1, R4, R8. | Match |
| Connecting strokes | The M-group is written as one connected movement and the P-group is separate; the crossbar is a distinct final stroke. | Same break between the M-group and the P-group across references, with the crossbar applied last. | Match |
| Starting and ending strokes | Starts on the M with no visible blunt dot. Ends in a long tapered horizontal bar with a lighter, bluer flick at the terminal. | R1 and R8 show the same long tapered terminal bar; R4 a slightly shorter version. | Match |
| Line quality and speed | Fluid, confident strokes with no visible tremor or hesitation at this resolution. Ink density varies along the strokes. | Fast, fluent marker lines in all clear references. | Match |
| Pen pressure pattern | Heavier, denser ink in the M zigzag and P stem; thinner on the crossbar. Measured thickness variation is 0.525 versus a reference range of 0.561–0.611, still within normal spread. | Similar heavy-light pattern from a felt or marker tip. | Natural variation |
| Spacing | Clear gap between the M-group and the P-group; the 'gt' is compressed. | Same spacing rhythm in R1, R2, R4, R8. | Match |
| Flourishes and underlines | No underline. The long terminal crossbar serves as the flourish. | No underlines; the long crossbar is the habitual flourish. | Match |
| Placement and size | Signed vertically in the lower-left over the green/orange art, clear of the character and nameplate, in dark teal/blue marker. | Reference crops do not show placement. The ink colors vary (blue, black, green, navy), consistent with artist autos signed in assorted markers. | Not assessable |
| Closed loops (measured) | 25 | 44–57 on R2, R4, R8; 2.5 spreads from the average. | 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 | -2.7° | -3.1–-1.1° | In range | |
| Overall writing angle | -2.8° | -1.8–-0.9° | In range | |
| Height to width | 0.227 | 0.181–0.234 | In range | |
| Ink travel per unit width | 4.53× | 4.25–4.4× | In range | |
| Stroke thickness variation | 0.525 | 0.561–0.611 | In range | |
| Closed loops | 25 | 44.0–57.0 | Edge of range | |
| Separate strokes | 12 | 12.0–20.0 | In range |
We measured the ink traces of this signature and three clean reference signatures (R2, R4, R8). The slant, overall writing angle, height-to-width shape, amount of ink travel, stroke thickness variation and number of separate strokes all fall within the range the artist himself shows from one signature to the next. One measure, the count of small closed loops, came in lower than his references, at 2.5 times his normal spread. That measure is easily affected by marker thickness, photo quality and the vertical way this card was signed, so it calls for a closer look rather than signaling a problem. Overall the numbers support the visual finding that this signature is consistent with Mark Pingitore's.
Examiner notes
Our signature is on a 2021 Nintendopes Stickers Open Edition artist auto (No. 41a). R2–R6 and R8 come from the same 2021 Nintendopes artist-auto run, so they are the same era, surface and likely the same type of signing session. R1 (Horrorible Kids Series 9) is probably a slightly later card issue but shows the same abbreviated form. R7 (signed 11x17 print) is undated. No meaningful era drift is expected, because the artist uses a fast, stylized 'M P[g]t' abbreviation throughout.
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.
