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Autograph Authentication Report

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2025 Magic Marker Art Horrorible Kids - Auto · #278a

Authenticated Crown Grading · reviewed Nov 1, 2026

Findings

Signer
Mark Pingitore
Autograph
Signed directly on the card, front side
Handwriting
Matches the known signatures it was compared with. (8 known signatures)
Printed or copied?
At the available resolution the signature shows no halftone or rosette dot pattern, no uniform printed density, and no obvious facsimile alignment. Stroke widths vary and terminals taper as expected from a marker. This product line is the artist's own brand, so a human should confirm that no printed-signature parallels exist for 278a. Ink-over-gloss and live ink still need in-hand confirmation.
Decision
Authenticated by Crown Grading after staff review.

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.

R1
Online listing (not independently authenticated)
R2
Online listing (not independently authenticated)
R3
Online listing (not independently authenticated)
R4Less weight
Online listing (not independently authenticated)
R5
Online listing (not independently authenticated)
R6
Online listing (not independently authenticated)
R7Less weight
Online listing (not independently authenticated)
R8
Crown-authenticated card
Crown cert 000035432

Feature by feature

FeatureThis cardKnown examplesResult
Overall form and proportionsAbbreviated 'M(k) P-t' form. A large angular M, a small looped connector, a P with a closed bowl, and a final t-like cross with a long horizontal. Roughly two equal-weight word groups.R1, R2, R5 and R6 show the same two-group 'Mk Pgt' abbreviation with a dominant angular M and a P followed by a cross-stroke. R3 and R8 show the same structure on cards.Match
Slant and baselineStrong rightward slant, written along the card's right edge. Rotated, it runs on a fairly level baseline with a slight rise into the P.R1, R2, R5 and R6 have a strong right slant and a level to slightly rising baseline. R4 and R8 are signed vertically along the card side, the same placement habit as ours.Match
Letter construction – MZigzag M: a sharp upstroke, a deep angular valley, and a second peak, all made with fast diagonal strokes.The same zigzag/N-like M appears in R1, R2, R3, R5 and R6, and in the vertical R8.Match
Letter construction – P and terminalP has a tall stem with a rounded closed bowl. A descending stroke drops below the baseline, then a t-like crossbar is extended well to the right.R1, R2, R5 and R6 show the P bowl and a long right-extending crossbar. R3 shows the same P-t sequence. Bowl size varies between examples.Natural variation
Connecting strokesThe M connects into a small loop (reduced k). There is a pen lift before the P.The references show the M linked to a reduced k or loop and a lift before the P. In ours the k is more compressed than in R1 and R2, which is within variation for a fine marker on a small card.Natural variation
Starting and ending strokesTapered entry on the M. The crossbar ends in a flicked, thinning terminal.The paint-pen examples have tapered or flicked terminals, and the crossbar extends long. This is consistent.Match
Line quality and speedFluid, confident strokes with smooth curves. No visible tremor, patching or blunt stops at this resolution.The references are fast and fluid. Ours shows comparable speed.Match
Pen pressure patternSome variation in stroke width, heavier on the downstrokes of the M and P. Ink density looks naturally uneven.Paint-pen references are less informative on pressure. R3 and R8 show similar marker width variation.Match
SpacingA clear gap between the M group and the P group.Similar inter-group gap in R1, R2, R5 and R6.Match
Flourishes and underlinesNo underline. The only flourish is the extended crossbar.No underlines in the references. The extended crossbar is common to them.Match
Placement and sizeVertical along the right side of the artwork, over the image, blue fine marker, moderate size.R4 and R8 are placed vertically on cards in the same way. R8 is also blue.Match
Reproduction indicatorsNo halftone or dot pattern is visible in the crop. The stroke edges look like marker ink sitting over the printed image.Not applicable.Not assessable

Examiner notes

Our card is a 2025 Magic Marker Art Horrorible Kids issue, a current-era signature on the artist's own product. The references are mostly undated web listings. R3 (2015 GPK) and R7 (2014 GPK) are earlier. R1, R2, R5 and R6 (Funko boxes) and R8 (Nintendopes stickers) look contemporary to recent. Pingitore's abbreviated 'M-k P-t' form looks stable across these items. Differences between them are best explained by surface (box plastic vs. card stock vs. holofoil), pen (paint pen vs. fine marker), and orientation.

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.