Autograph Authentication Report
2025 SMZ Comics Metal Trading Card - Artist Auto - Eddie Nuñez · #10
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 'Nui' form. A tall, narrow N takes about two-thirds of the height. A compact, low 'ui' follows, then a long rising diagonal accent stroke. | R5, R6, R7 and R8 show the same 'Nui' plus long-accent construction with the same tall-N to small-lowercase ratio. R1 and R3 are the same form. R2 and R4 show a fuller 'Nuñ'/'Nuna' variant. | Match |
| Slant and baseline | Near-upright N with a slight rightward lean. The lowercase sits on a fairly level baseline, and the accent rises at roughly 35–45° to the upper right. | R5–R8 are near-upright with the same rising accent angle. R1 and R3 are similar. | Match |
| Letter construction (N) | The N opens with a short hooked entry at the top of the left stem. A long downstroke, a diagonal and a tall right stem follow, with the right stem ending in a small curl or hook at its peak. | R8 shows the same hooked top on the second stem. R6 and R5 show the same tall, narrow N with a looped or hooked peak. R1, R2 and R4 show the same tall N with a curled top. | Match |
| Letter construction (u/i) | A small, rounded, narrow 'u' runs into a short 'i' stroke with a slight rightward exit. | Same compact 'ui' in R5, R7 and R8. R6 is slightly more compressed. | Natural variation |
| Connecting strokes | The N connects into the 'u' from the base of the right stem. The accent is a separate lifted stroke. | Same connection pattern and the same separate accent lift in R5–R8 and R1. | Match |
| Starting and ending strokes | Tapered entry at the N and a tapered, flicked exit on the accent stroke. No blunt starts or stops are evident at this resolution. | R7 and R8 show the same tapered accent flick. R5 and R6 show a similar thin taper. | Match |
| Line quality and speed | Fluid, confident strokes with natural thinning on the fast diagonals. No visible tremor, hesitation or patching. | Comparable fluency throughout R5–R8. | Match |
| Pen pressure pattern | Heavier on the N downstrokes, lighter and thinning on the accent. This is typical of a paint pen on brushed metal. | Same pattern in R5–R8. R7's red ink is bolder but shows the same distribution. | Natural variation |
| Spacing | Tight spacing between N and 'ui', with the accent extending well past the 'i'. | Consistent with R5–R8. | Match |
| Flourishes and underlines | No underline. The single long diagonal accent is the only flourish. | Same in R5–R8, R1 and R3. R2 and R4 use a tilde or extra-letter variant. | Match |
| Placement and size | Lower-left of the card front, over the artwork, near the printed '10/10'. Light-blue paint pen. | R8 (Raphael, 10/10) is also light-blue paint pen on the same grey stock with similar placement. R5–R7 use similar lower-area placement. | Match |
| Reproduction indicators | No halftone or dot pattern is visible. The ink colour differs from the printed grey linework and reads as sitting on top of the brushed-metal texture. Resolution is insufficient to confirm relief. | n/a | Not assessable |
Examiner notes
All material is contemporary. Our card is a 2025 SMZ Comics metal artist-auto with Crown cert 000059929. The closest references, R5–R8 (certs 000059932–000059935), are the same 2025 SMZ Comics Artist Auto run on the same grey brushed-metal stock, signed in paint pen. R1, R2 and R4 are other SMZ metal cards from the same general period, and R3 is an SMZ card of similar vintage. No era-driven evolution is expected. The differences seen come from ink colour, surface 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.
