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20 of the most valuable autographs ever, ranked

Record-shattering signatures worth sums that will astound you
20. Baseball signed by Joe DiMaggio and Marilyn Monroe: $384,000 ($453k/340k today)
19. Baseball signed by Babe Ruth: $388,375 ($458k/£344k today)
18. Steve Jobs' anti-autograph letter: $479,939 ($566k/£425k today)
17. The Beatles' 1962 signed contract: $569,000 ($768k/£573k today)
16. Baseball signed by inaugural Baseball Hall of Famers: $623,369 ($794k/£596k today)
15. Signed Mao Zedong letter: $660,000 ($872k/£655k today)
14. Signed Darwin manuscript defending his Theory of Evolution: $882,000 (£719k)
13. John Lennon's Double Fantasy album signed for his murderer: $922,500 ($1.1m/£827k today)
12. Signed Lionel Messi FC Barcelona napkin contract promise: $969,000 (£728k)
11. Signed 2024 Shohei Ohtani trading card: $1.1 million (£826k)
10. Button Gwinnett-signed document: $1.4 million (£1.1m)
9. Signed 1911 'Shoeless' Joe photo: $1.47 million ($1.7m/£1.3m today)
8. Signed Michael Jordan Nike Air Jordan XIII sneakers: $2.2 million (£1.7m)
7. Signed 'Reach Out to Asia' Fender Stratocaster guitar: $2.7 million ($4.4m/£3.4m today)
6. Albert Einstein's 'God letter': $2.9 million ($3.7m/£2.8m today)
5. Signed 2003-04 Michael Jordan trading card: $2.9 million (£2.2m)
4. Abraham Lincoln's 'Little People Letter': $3.4 million ($5.1m/£3.8m today)
3. Abraham Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation: $3.8 million ($5.6m/£4.2m today)
2. Signed 2009-10 Stephen Curry rookie trading card: $5.9 million ($7m/£5.3m today)
1. George Washington’s Acts Of Congress: $9.8 million ($13.7m/£10.3m today)
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Tim Clayton/Corbis via Getty Images

Record-shattering signatures worth sums that will astound you

Collecting autographs is arguably a dying art, with the public often opting to snap a selfie with a VIP instead of getting their signature these days. But fans could be overlooking a potentially lucrative nest egg. The most sought-after squiggles sell for incredible amounts, particularly if they're attached to a historically important document or piece of memorabilia. We're talking millions of dollars in some cases.

Read on to discover 20 of the most expensive autographs of all time. For pre-2022 sales we've adjusted the figures for inflation to give you an idea of their value in today's money.

All dollar amounts in US dollars.

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Daniel Coughlin

29 April 2025

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