Autograph Authentication Report
2018 Topps Garbage Pail Kids: We Hate the '80s - David Gross Auto (25/25) · #5a
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 signature: a large open 'D' loop, a tall central ascender, then a compressed 'h'-like hump with a trailing wave. The 'D' loop dominates about 40% of the width. | R1–R6 show the same three-part abbreviated structure with the 'D' loop dominant and the same hump/wave body. | Match |
| Slant and baseline | Near-upright to slight right slant. The baseline rises slightly through the hump and the terminal wave trails off level. | R1–R6 are upright to slightly right-slanted with similar baseline behavior. R3/R4 are a little more horizontal. | Natural variation |
| Letter construction | The 'D' starts high, sweeps left and down into a wide lower loop returning right. A separate tall vertical ascender follows, then an arched 'h'/'n' form. | Same 'D' loop construction in R1, R2, R5 and R6. R3/R4 show a slightly narrower loop and a dotted/compressed middle. | Match |
| Connecting strokes | The 'D' loop's lower return flows into the ascender area. The hump connects into the terminal wave. | Same linkage pattern in R1, R2, R5 and R6. | Match |
| Starting and ending strokes | Tapered entry at the top of the 'D' loop and a tapered, flicked exit on the final wave. No blunt stops visible. | Tapered entries and flicked wave exits in all of R1–R6. | Match |
| Line quality and speed | Smooth, confident curves with no visible tremor or hesitation at this resolution. | Fluid, fast lines throughout R1–R6. | Match |
| Pen pressure pattern | Some width and density variation on the curves of the 'D' loop and hump, consistent with a marker under varying pressure. | Similar marker pressure variation in R1–R4. | Match |
| Spacing | Compact body after a wide 'D' loop. | Same compact spacing in R1–R6. | Match |
| Flourishes and underlines | No underline. The terminal wave serves as the only flourish. | No underlines in R1–R6. The terminal wave is common to all. | Match |
| Placement and size | Signed in the printed blue artist-autograph panel above the 'David Gross Artist Autograph' text. The upper 'D' loop extends past the panel edge into the dark artwork, which suggests direct on-card signing rather than a sticker. | R1–R4 are similarly placed on Topps on-card panels, with loops crossing panel borders. | Match |
| Reproduction indicators | No halftone or dot pattern visible in the ink. Density is not perfectly uniform. The stroke crosses the panel boundary naturally. | N/A | Not assessable |
Examiner notes
Our card is a 2018 Topps Garbage Pail Kids: We Hate the '80s artist autograph (25/25), so it was likely signed around 2018. R1 (35th Anniversary, about 2020), R2 (Late to School, about 2020) and R3/R4 (InterGOOlactic Mayhem, about 2022) are later Topps artist autos from the same signing context: small on-card panels in marker. R5/R6 are undated PSA-slabbed artist autos. The abbreviated card-panel form ('D' loop, 'l'/'h' body, wave terminal) is stable across 2018–2022, so no era-driven change is expected or seen. R7/R8 belong to a different David Gross, the Nobel physicist (physics diagram, 'Brussels 2010'), and are not relevant to the GPK artist.
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.
