Autograph Authentication Report
1994 Magic: The Gathering - Revised Edition Illustrator Auto · #ø
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 horizontal monogram. Angular zigzag left block (M/A), looped central block (R/P, double-O), then stacked horizontal bars to the right. Width about 3x height. | R1, R2, R3, R4, R6 and R7 show the same three-part layout: angular left, looped middle, long parallel bars right, at similar proportions. | Match |
| Slant and baseline | Strong right-leaning diagonals in the left block. Baseline roughly level, rising slightly into the bars. | R1, R2 and R4 show the same right slant on the initial strokes and a level-to-rising terminal bar group. | Match |
| Letter construction | M rendered as rapid pointed zigzag downstrokes. R/P formed with an overarching top stroke. Interlocked oval loops for the O's. | Same zigzag M and overarching top stroke as R1 and R4. Interlocked loops match R4 and R2 closely. R3 is more compressed but the same construction. | Match |
| Connecting strokes | The left and middle blocks run continuously. The bar group appears to be separate strokes, as in the references. | R1 and R4 show the same continuous left-middle flow with separately struck bars. | Match |
| Starting and ending strokes | Starts with a low-left diagonal lead-in. Bars end with tapered or flat terminals; resolution limits detail. | R4 and R1 start with the same low-left diagonal. Bar terminals vary from tapered to blunt across references. | Natural variation |
| Flourishes / underlines | About three stacked horizontal bars extending right past the loops. | R4 shows three bars, R1 shows two to three, R2, R3 and R7 show two to three long strokes. Bar count varies from signing to signing. | Natural variation |
| Line quality and speed | At this resolution the strokes look confident, with sharp apexes on the zigzags and no obvious tremor. The thick marker line hides fine detail. | References show fast, fluid execution, best seen in the high-resolution R4. | Natural variation |
| Pen pressure pattern | Broad marker with fairly even density. Some darker overlap areas visible but not resolvable. | R4 shows darker overlap at crossings with a felt-tip marker. Others are too small to judge. | Not assessable |
| Spacing | Tight overlap between letter groups. Loops nest into each other. | Same tight overlapping spacing in R1, R2 and R4. | Match |
| Placement and size | Lower text box, crossing into the border and the 'Illus. Mark Poole' credit line. Spans about half the card width. | R1, R4, R5, R6 and R7 are placed similarly over the lower text box and credit line, at comparable relative size. | Match |
| Ink / color | Dark blue-black marker. | Black marker in most references. Gold paint pen in R8. Color varies with the pen used. | Natural variation |
Examiner notes
The card is a 1994 Italian Revised (FBB) Island, but the signing date is unknown. Poole signs at conventions and by mail throughout his career. Our signature shows the compact, stylized 'MARPOOLE' monogram with stacked horizontal 'E' bars, and no on-card dating is available. The 1994 print date gives no information about when it was signed. R3 (2022 30th Anniversary card) fixes the form as current in the 2020s. R1, R2 and R4–R7 sit on 1993–1996 cards with unknown signing dates, but all show the same mature construction. I see no era-driven differences between ours and the references.
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.
