Autograph Authentication Report
2023 Topps G.P.K. Ser. 2: InterGOOlactic Mayhem - Time Warp Auto - David Gross (14/50) · #4a
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 stylized signature. A large open looping initial stroke sits at left, followed by a compact 'w'-like form, a dot, a cluster of short upright strokes, and a long trailing finish to the right. It is wider than it is tall. | R1 and R7 show the same abbreviated structure: a looping initial, a 'w'/'d'-like middle, a cluster of verticals, and a long right-trailing finish, in similar width-to-height proportion. | Match |
| Slant and baseline | Mostly upright, with slight rightward lean on the verticals. The baseline runs roughly horizontal along the autograph box. | R1 and R7 are upright to slightly right-leaning on a near-horizontal baseline. | Match |
| Letter construction | The initial is a leftward hook that loops down and back into a 'w'-shaped valley. A dot is placed mid-signature, then two or three tall narrow upright strokes with a hooked finish. | R1 and R7 build the initial loop and 'w'-like valley the same way, followed by tall narrow uprights. The dot or i-mark is clearer in R7 than in R1, but within normal variation. | Natural variation |
| Connecting strokes | The initial loop flows continuously into the middle form. The uprights are connected by short angular joins. | R1 and R7 show the same continuous loop-to-middle connection and angular joins in the upright cluster. | Match |
| Starting and ending strokes | Starts with a curved entry at upper left that sweeps above the box border. Ends with a tapered horizontal tail to the right. | R1 and R7 also start with a curved upper-left entry and finish with a tapered horizontal right tail. | Match |
| Line quality and speed | Strokes appear fluid and confident with smooth curves. No visible tremor, hesitation, or blunted stops at this resolution. | R1 and R7 show similarly quick, fluid strokes. | Match |
| Pen pressure pattern | Fairly even marker width with mild tapering at the terminal stroke, consistent with a felt-tip marker. | R1 and R7 show similar marker-width strokes with tapered ends. | Match |
| Spacing | The initial loop is separated somewhat from the upright cluster, and the uprights are tightly spaced. | R1 and R7 show comparable spacing. | Match |
| Flourishes and underlines | No separate underline; the long trailing finish serves as the flourish. | R1 and R7 have the same trailing-finish flourish and no separate underline. | Match |
| Placement and size | Placed in the yellow 'DAVID GROSS ARTIST AUTOGRAPH' box, with the initial loop overrunning the top border into the artwork. | R1 and R7 sit in the comparable autograph area of GPK artist cards and also overrun the box edges. This is natural hand placement rather than a fixed facsimile position. | Match |
| Ink color | Blue marker. It appears blue over the purple artwork and teal/green over the yellow box. | R1 and R7 are dark blue/black marker. | Natural variation |
Examiner notes
Our card is 2023 Topps G.P.K. Series 2: InterGOOlactic Mayhem, Time Warp Auto (14/50), so the signature was likely made in 2023 on an artist-autograph card. The only relevant references are R1 and R7. Both are Garbage Pail Kids artist-autograph cards signed by GPK artist Dave/David Gross, likely from roughly the same era (2020s Topps GPK releases, e.g. Kids at Play). R2, R3, R4, R5 and R8 show signatures of a different David Gross, the physicist (physics diagrams; Brussels 2010 Solvay-type photo), and are not relevant. R6 is a digital vector rendering. No era-driven change applies between ours and R1/R7.
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.
