Autograph Authentication Report
2021 Nintendopes Stickers Open Edition - Artist Mark Pingitore Auto · #33a
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 compact zigzag 'M' cluster, a gap, then a 'P' form followed by a long, nearly horizontal trailing stroke making up roughly half the total length. | R1, R2, R3, R4, R6 and R8 show the same structure: a zigzag 'M' unit, a separate 'P'/surname unit, and an extended horizontal tail. R1 (blue ink) is closest overall. | Match |
| Slant and baseline | Strong rightward slant on the upstrokes of the 'M'. Baseline is roughly level, with the terminal stroke running flat to slightly rising (in the rotated crop). | The rightward slant and level-to-slightly-rising tail recur in R1, R2, R3, R4 and R8. | Match |
| Letter construction | 'M' is a tall initial upstroke followed by tight angular peaks and small looped valleys. 'P' has a tall stem and a compact bowl, flowing into a low 't'-like crossbar and the tail. | Same angular 'M' with small loops in R1, R3, R4 and R8. The 'P' stem and bowl, plus the crossbar-like terminal, match R1, R2 and R8. R7 is more compressed and cramped, within normal variation for a small or awkward signing area. | Match |
| Connecting strokes | Pen lift between the 'M' unit and the 'P' unit. The 'P' runs continuously into the trailing stroke. | The lift between units and the continuous surname-to-tail stroke are typical across R1–R8. | Match |
| Starting and ending strokes | Initial stroke enters cleanly without a blunt start. The terminal stroke tapers to a thin, fast exit. | Tapered fast exits are seen in R1, R2, R4 and R8. | Match |
| Line quality and speed | Fluid and confident. No visible tremor, hesitation, or patching at this resolution. The long tail is smooth and tapered, consistent with speed. | All references show fast, rhythmic execution. Ours fits that profile. | Match |
| Pen pressure pattern | Heavier ink on the 'M' strokes and the 'P' stem, lighter on the tail. Density varies somewhat along strokes. | Similar heavy-on-letters, light-on-tail pattern in R1, R2 and R8. | Match |
| Spacing | Moderate gap between the 'M' cluster and the 'P' unit. Tail extends well beyond. | Comparable spacing in R1, R3 and R8. R5 and R6 are partly obscured by busy backgrounds. | Natural variation |
| Flourishes and underlines | No separate underline. The extended terminal stroke serves as the flourish. | Same in all references; none show a separate underline. | Match |
| Placement and size | Signed vertically along the left side of the card front, over the artwork (face and jacket area), in blue ink. Medium-large relative to the card. | Reference crops are horizontal and come from various spots on the card front. Orientation and position vary by card and are not a reliable discriminator. Signing over artwork is common in the references (R5, R6, R7, R8). | Natural variation |
| Ink and pen | Blue, apparently marker or paint-type pen. | R1 and R8 are blue. R2–R7 are black or dark blue. The artist evidently uses several pens. | Natural variation |
Examiner notes
Our card is from the 2021 Nintendopes Stickers Open Edition artist-auto run (No. 33a). R2–R8 come from the same Nintendopes open-edition issue and are likely contemporaneous. R1 is a later Magic Marker Art Horrorible Kids Series 9 autograph card, a slightly later period of the same artist. Pingitore's signature is a fast, abbreviated 'M' + 'P' monogram-style form with a long trailing stroke, and it looks stable across these references, so era is not a material factor.
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.
