Autograph Authentication Report
2021 Nintendopes Stickers Open Edition - Artist Mark Pingitore Auto · #26b
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 | Two-part signature: a compact angular 'M' zigzag, a gap, then a 'P' with a looped bowl running into a low 'gt'-type form and a long horizontal terminal stroke. | R1, R4, R7 and R8 all show the same two-block structure: a zigzag 'M', a gap, a tall-stemmed 'P' and a long horizontal finishing stroke. | Match |
| Slant and baseline | Upright strokes lean slightly. The baseline runs near level to slightly downhill across the card's long axis (signed vertically along the left side of the sticker). | Upright strokes in the references range from near-vertical to slightly leaning; baselines are roughly level. | Match |
| Letter construction | The 'M' is built as a quick saw-tooth of three or four angular peaks. The 'P' has a tall stem with a looped bowl, and the following letters are reduced to a low wave. | The same saw-tooth 'M' appears in R1, R4 and R7, and the same stem-plus-loop 'P' with abbreviated trailing letters appears in R1, R7 and R8. | Match |
| Connecting strokes | Continuous within each block, with a lift between the 'M' and 'P' blocks. | All legible references show the same lift between the two blocks and continuous movement within each. | Match |
| Starting and ending strokes | Starts tapered at the left of the 'M'; ends in an extended, tapering horizontal stroke. | R1, R4, R7 and R8 end in a long horizontal crossbar-like stroke with a tapered finish. | Match |
| Line quality and speed | Strokes look fluid and rapid, with tapered ends. No visible tremor or hesitation at this resolution. | All references are fast, fluid marker signatures. | Match |
| Pen pressure pattern | Width varies with stroke direction. The ink is heavier at turns and lighter at the tapered ends; one loop shows a bluish tone where it crosses the yellow star area. | Similar variable width is seen in R1, R4 and R8. Marker colour varies between blue and black across the references. | Natural variation |
| Spacing | Clear gap between the 'M' and 'P' blocks; letters inside each block are compressed. | Same spacing habit throughout the references. | Match |
| Flourishes and underlines | Long terminal horizontal stroke; no separate underline. | Same terminal stroke, no underline. | Match |
| Placement and size | Written vertically along the left edge of the sticker, over the character's book and art. Large in relation to the card. | References are placed across the artwork in various orientations; size is comparable. | 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° | -13.2–-1.3° | In range | |
| Overall writing angle | -2.9° | -3.5–1.2° | In range | |
| Height to width | 0.22 | 0.173–0.222 | In range | |
| Ink travel per unit width | 3.65× | 2.27–5.41× | In range | |
| Stroke thickness variation | 0.543 | 0.452–0.621 | In range | |
| Closed loops | 18 | 20.0–98.0 | In range | |
| Separate strokes | 15 | 12.0–20.0 | In range |
Our software traced the ink and compared seven features with four clean reference signatures. Every feature falls within the range this artist normally shows. The slant, overall angle, height-to-width shape, amount of pen travel, stroke thickness variation, number of loops and number of separate strokes all sit within about one 'normal spread' of his average, and most are much closer. The loop count is the furthest out at 1.2 spreads, which is still well within his normal range. Several of these features are sensitive to photo quality, so they support the visual comparison rather than decide it. Overall, the numbers support authenticating this signature.
Examiner notes
Ours is on a 2021 Nintendopes Stickers Open Edition artist-auto sticker. R2–R8 are from the same set and almost certainly the same signing period. R1 (Horrorible Kids Series 9, 01/10) is a closely related Magic Marker Art release. Era differences should be minimal; variation across references comes mainly from marker type, surface colour 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.
