Autograph Authentication Report
2021 Nintendopes Stickers Open Edition - Artist Mark Pingitore Auto · #25b
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' initial, a gap, then a looped 'P' running into a compressed 'it' with a long trailing t-cross. | R2, R3, R4, R6 and R8 show the same abbreviated 'M' / 'P-it' structure with matching proportions. R1 shows the same structure, written larger and more open. | Match |
| Slant and baseline | Near-upright with a slight left lean on the uprights; the baseline rises gently left to right. | Same near-upright, slightly left-leaning uprights and a level-to-slightly-rising baseline. This is confirmed by the measurements (slant -3.6° vs ref range -3.7 to -1.2). | Match |
| Letter construction | 'M' built as a rapid angular zigzag with a short tail. 'P' has a tall stem and an open upper bowl that flows into a small 'i' and the 't' stem. | Identical construction in R2, R4 and R8: an angular zigzag M and a P bowl leading into the 'it' cluster. | Match |
| Connecting strokes | Pen lift between the M group and the P group. P, i and t are linked in one continuous movement. | The same lift between the initial and surname group, with a connected P-it cluster, appears in R2, R3, R6 and R8. | Match |
| Starting and ending strokes | Starts with a quick upstroke into the M. Ends with a long, tapering horizontal t-cross extending to the right. | R1, R2, R4 and R8 all terminate in the same extended tapering t-cross. Entry strokes are likewise quick upstrokes. | Match |
| Line quality and speed | Fluent and confident, with tapered terminals. No visible tremor, hesitation or blunt stops at this resolution. | Similarly fast, fluent marker work across the references. | Match |
| Pen pressure pattern | Heavier on downstrokes and lighter on the trailing t-cross, consistent with felt-tip marker. | Comparable marker pressure pattern in R2, R4 and R8 (stroke thickness variation 0.538 vs refs 0.491–0.65). | Natural variation |
| Spacing | Moderate gap between the M initial and the P group. Compact letters in the surname group. | Gap width varies somewhat across references (wider in R1, tighter in R4). Ours sits within that range. | Natural variation |
| Flourishes and underlines | No underline. The extended t-cross acts as the terminal flourish. | No underlines. The extended t-cross appears in every legible reference. | Match |
| Placement and size | Blue marker, written vertically along the left edge of the artwork, overlapping the character and background. | References are crops, so placement on the card cannot be compared directly. They show signatures written across the artwork in various marker colors, consistent with artist-signed stickers. | Not assessable |
| Ink color | Blue marker. | R1, R3 and R8 are blue. R2 and R6 are black. R4 is dark green/black. Pingitore evidently uses various marker colors. | 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 | -3.6° | -3.7–-1.2° | In range | |
| Overall writing angle | 0.8° | -2.2–0.4° | In range | |
| Height to width | 0.222 | 0.174–0.262 | In range | |
| Ink travel per unit width | 4.34× | 3.36–5.45× | In range | |
| Stroke thickness variation | 0.538 | 0.491–0.65 | In range | |
| Closed loops | 46 | 19.0–90.0 | In range | |
| Separate strokes | 15 | 13.0–25.0 | In range |
Our software traced the ink lines and compared seven features with four clean Pingitore reference signatures (R2, R4, R6, R8). Every feature landed well inside his normal range; the farthest was 0.6 of his usual spread, where anything under 2 is normal for him. The lean of the upright strokes (-3.6°), the overall writing angle (0.8°) and the height-to-width shape (0.222) were the three most reliable measures, and all closely match how he typically writes. The photo-sensitive features (ink travel, stroke thickness variation, loop count, number of separate strokes) also fell within his normal variation. These numbers support authenticating this signature, alongside the visual match.
Examiner notes
Our card is the 2021 Nintendopes Stickers Open Edition artist-auto issue (25b Su Moe). R2 through R8 come from the same set and signing program, so they are the same era. R1 (Magic Marker Art Horrorible Kids Series 9) is a contemporaneous Pingitore artist-autograph issue. No era-driven variation is expected, and the remaining differences are attributable to marker type, sticker surface and the vertical card orientation.
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.
