Autograph Authentication Report
2024 Topps Chrome Garbage Pail Kids - Art of Rory Auto - Rory McQueen Artist Auto · #RA-CU
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 | Large open loop at the left (stylized initial), followed by a run of 3–4 tall pointed zigzag peaks ('mmm'), closing with a loop and a long right-trailing tail. Total height is roughly 1.5–2x the printed bar height. | R1, R2 and R3 all show the same scheme: left loop/initial, a repeated pointed 'mmm/nmh' zigzag body, and a terminal loop with a horizontal tail. R1 is larger and bolder because of the marker. | Match |
| Slant and baseline | Near-upright to slight right slant. Baseline runs roughly along the printed bar and drifts slightly upward toward the end. | R1 is upright with an exaggerated vertical extent. R2 and R3 are upright to slightly right-slanted, run along the bar, and rise slightly at the end. | Match |
| Letter construction | The initial is a tall stroke with a looping return. The body is a series of sharp-apexed peaks with narrow valleys. The ending is an 'e'/'Q'-like oval loop. | Same sharp-apexed peaks and narrow valleys in R1 and R2. R1 and R2 show the same oval terminal loop. In R3 the peak construction is the same; the terminal is partly cropped. | Match |
| Connecting strokes | Peaks are written in one continuous zigzag with no visible lifts inside the body. The terminal loop flows directly into the tail. | Continuous zigzag body in R1, R2 and R3. R2 shows the same loop-into-tail transition. | Match |
| Starting and ending strokes | Entry stroke appears flicked rather than blunt. The ending tail tapers to a fine point at the right. | R1 has a tapered horizontal ending tail. R2 ends with a tail plus a separate dot. R3's ending is not fully visible. | Natural variation |
| Line quality and speed | Strokes look fluid and rapid, with smooth curves on the loops and no visible tremor, patching or hesitation at this resolution. | R1, R2 and R3 all show fast, confident execution. | Match |
| Pen pressure pattern | Line appears darker and denser over the red printed bar and lighter blue over the art. This fits ink sitting differently on the two printed surfaces. Some width variation is visible on the downstrokes. | R2 and R3 show similar darker rendering where the ink crosses the yellow bar. R1 is marker, so the line is near-uniform. | Natural variation |
| Spacing | Peaks are tightly and evenly spaced, with a wider gap before the terminal loop. | Same tight peak rhythm with a gap before the terminal loop in R1 and R2. | Match |
| Flourishes and underlines | No separate underline. The extended ending tail serves as the flourish. | No underline in any reference. R1 and R2 also use the extended tail. R2 adds a trailing dot. | Natural variation |
| Placement and size | Centered over the printed 'CURLY SHIRLEY ARTIST AUTOGRAPH' nameplate and overrunning it onto the artwork, as is typical for GPK artist autos. | R2 and R3 are placed over the printed 'ADAM BOOM ARTIST AUTOGRAPH' bar in the same overrunning manner. R1's placement is over the artwork. | Match |
| Reproduction indicators | No halftone or dot pattern visible in the ink. Ink appears to cross over the printed bar text and the bar's black outline. Width and density vary in a way consistent with live pen ink. A scan cannot confirm whether the ink sits on top of the Chrome surface. | Not applicable. | Not assessable |
Examiner notes
Ours is a 2024 Topps Chrome Garbage Pail Kids 'Art of Rory' artist autograph (#RA-CU). R2 is the same 2024 Chrome GPK product line. R1 (Get A Grip Skateboards) and R3 (Get A Grip-era listing) are also recent, roughly 2022–2024 GPK releases. All samples fall within the same short, current-career window, so era-driven drift should be minimal. Differences in size and stroke weight are better explained by pen type: R1 is a broad black marker, while ours, R2 and R3 are finer-tipped blue/teal pens. Writing surface also differs: matte paper art versus Chrome stock with a printed nameplate.
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.
