Autograph Authentication Report
2022 Topps Garbage Pail Kids: Book Worms - Smokin' Joe Auto · #4b
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 | Nickname signature 'Smokin' Joe'. A large looping S dominates, followed by smaller lowercase 'mokin'' and a separate 'Joe'. | R1 and R2 show the same nickname form. Each has a dominant oversized looping S and smaller lowercase letters. | Match |
| Layout / placement and size | Stacked on two lines. 'Smokin'' sits over the lower-right art and 'Joe' drops below and right, beside the nameplate. | Single line in both. R2 is signed within a dedicated label area. | Natural variation |
| Slant and baseline | Moderate rightward slant. The 'mokin'' baseline rises slightly left to right. | Similar rightward slant with a slightly rising or undulating baseline in R1 and R2. | Match |
| Letter construction – S | Starts low left with a sweeping leftward entry, forms a wide open upper loop, then descends into 'm'. | R1 and R2 both show the same wide, low-entry looping S that flows directly into 'm'. | Match |
| Letter construction – 'mokin'' | Compact rounded m, small o, k with a looped ascender, short i, n, and an apostrophe as a separate short tick. | R2 shows the same m-o-k construction with a looped k, and a separate apostrophe tick after n. R1 is similar. | Match |
| Letter construction – 'Joe' | J has a looped/hooked top and descender, followed by a small 'oe' ending in an open e. | R2's J is a large looping form with small 'oe', and R1's is similar. Ours is somewhat more compact because of the stacking. | Natural variation |
| Connecting strokes | S connects into 'mokin' in one continuous run. Pen lifts occur at the apostrophe and before 'Joe'. | Same connection pattern, with lifts at the apostrophe and the word break. | Match |
| Starting and ending strokes | Tapered entry on the S. The e of Joe ends with a light, open finish. | Tapered entries and light finishes are visible in R1 and R2. | Match |
| Line quality and speed | Fluent, confident strokes with no visible tremor, hesitation or patching at scan resolution. | Fluent, rapid marker strokes. | Match |
| Pen pressure pattern | Some ink density variation, slightly heavier in curves. Consistent with a felt-tip marker. | Similar marker density variation. | Match |
| Spacing | Tight letter spacing within 'mokin''. 'Joe' is separated onto a second line. | Tight spacing within words. 'Joe' follows on the same line after a gap. | Natural variation |
| Flourishes and underlines | None beyond the oversized S loop. | None beyond the oversized S loop. | Match |
| Ink / medium | Blue marker. | Blue marker in both. | Match |
Examiner notes
Ours is a 2022 Topps Garbage Pail Kids: Book Worms artist auto (#4b). R2 is a Topps GPK Kids-At-Play artist auto, likely 2021, so it is essentially contemporaneous with ours. R1 is undated, but its blue marker on a blue label is stylistically the same modern-era convention form. No meaningful era gap separates the specimens.
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.
