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.

A baseball signed by Joe DiMaggio is worth $750 (£562), if that. But throw in a signature of his screen icon wife Marilyn Monroe and the price tag skyrockets.

This particular baseball, which was autographed by the couple in Florida in the 1960s when they were reportedly looking to rekindle their romance, went under the hammer at a Heritage Auctions sale in 2021 for $384,000 ($453k/£340k today).

Staying with signed baseballs, this official American League ball bearing Babe Ruth's autograph was a poignant gift from his widow to the Hollywood publicist who worked on his biopic, which was released shortly after the GOAT's untimely death in 1948.

The best-known Babe Ruth-signed baseball, it eventually found its way into a Heritage Auctions sale in 2021 when it fetched $388,375 ($458k/£344k today).

Steve Jobs had a strict no-autograph policy, and his squiggles are in short supply as a result. Ironically, the Apple co-founder went to the trouble in 1983 of writing to a fan explaining how he doesn't sign autographs, only to end the letter with his distinctive lowercase signature in bold lettering.

This insight into Jobs' dry sense of humour went down a storm at an RR Auction event in 2021, selling for $479,939 ($566k/£425k today).

This original 1962 contract, signed by the four members of the Beatles and their then-manager Brian Epstein, is a pivotal artefact in pop and rock music history. Needless to say, bidding was fierce when the landmark document went up for auction at Sotheby's in 2015.

The highest offer came in at $569,000 ($768k/£573k today), the most ever paid for a signed contract linked to the band.

This almost mythical baseball was signed by all 11 inaugural inductees into the Baseball Hall of Fame, who put pen to leather during the 1939 induction ceremony. Featuring autographs from the likes of Babe Ruth, Ty Cobb and Cy Young, it makes for an extraordinary collector's item.

Unsurprisingly, the baseball cleaned up at a SCP Auctions event in 2018, selling for $623,369 ($794k/£596k today), obliterating the record for a signed baseball.

In 2019, a calligraphic letter signed by Chinese leader Mao Zedong was put up for sale on the international market for the first time, courtesy of Sotheby's. Addressed to journalist Yang Li, it touches on his mother's health among other day-to-day details. As you can imagine, interest in the circa 1948 missive was intense.

The letter comfortably surpassed its estimate and sold for $660,000 ($872k/£655k today).

Charles Darwin rustled up this handwritten document in 1865 for a celebrity magazine, which printed handwriting examples from the famous people of the time.

A definitive defence of his Theory of Evolution, the signed paper sold at a Sotheby's auction in 2022 for $882,000 (£719k), though it was expected to fetch more given its historical significance.

The most notorious collectible in this round-up is the Double Fantasy album John Lennon signed in 1980 for Mark David Chapman, the man who would go on to murder him in cold blood.

The infamous LP shattered records in 2020 when it went under the hammer at a Goldin Auctions event for $922,500 ($1.1m/£827k today).

The napkin FC Barcelona boss Carles Rexach scrawled on in December 2000, outlining the agreement to sign a 13-year-old Lionel Messi, is one of the most famous artefacts in the Catalan club's history.

The humble yet crucial paper towel commanded almost a million dollars at a Bonhams auction last year, reflecting its unique place in football lore.

Shohei Ohtani is shaping up to be an all-time baseball great, and his memorabilia has surged in value in recent years.

In March this year, a one-of-a-kind signed Topps Dynasty trading card from Ohtani's stellar 2024 50/50 season sold for almost $1.1 million (£826k), an incredible price for a non-rookie card.

Relatively obscure, Button Gwinnett is the least well-known of the 56 signatories of the US Declaration of Independence, making documents bearing his autograph exceptionally rare. For collectors striving to assemble a complete set of all 56 signatures, a true 'holy grail' pursuit, Button Gwinnett's scribble often represents the elusive missing element, requiring a ton of effort and luck to acquire.

In 2022, dealer John Reznikoff struck gold when he snapped up a Gwinnett-signed document, paying a humongous $1.4 million (£1.1m) for the storied artefact.

'Shoeless' Joe Jackson's name is forever etched in baseball infamy due to his alleged involvement in the Black Sox Scandal. Adding another layer to his enigmatic legacy is the extreme rarity of his autograph, stemming from his reported illiteracy. In fact, Jackson's wife would do the honours on his behalf.

The sole authenticated signed photo in existence, a copy of this picture from 1911, sold via Christie's and Hunt Auctions in 2021 for $1.47 million ($1.7m/£1.3m today), the highest price ever paid for a signed sports photo.

Michael Jordan memorabilia sells for astronomical sums, with signed items especially coveted.

In 2023, this pair of Nike Air Jordan XIIIs bearing the basketball GOAT's autograph on each shoe was sold by Sotheby's for $2.2 million (£1.7m), making them the most expensive signed footwear of all time.

This white Fender Strat was signed by 19 rock icons and put up for auction in 2005 to raise money for victims of the 2004 Indian Ocean Tsunami. Paul McCartney, Mick Jagger, David Gilmour and the organiser of the benefit, Bryan Adams, are just some of the big names who provided autographs.

The signed Strat set a new record for a guitar sold at auction, going under the hammer for $2.7 million ($4.4m/£3.4m today). The buyer was a member of Qatar's royal family.

The so-called 'God letter' tackles the concept of religion. It was written in 1954, a year before the trailblazing scientist's death.

A powerful insight into Einstein's belief system, the letter fetched $2.9 million ($3.7m/£2.8m today), almost double its estimate, at a Christie's sale in 2018.

Last year, a 2003-04 Upper Deck Ultimate Collection Jordan Logoman trading card autographed by the basketball superstar sold via Goldin Auctions for $2.9 million (£2.2m).

The one-of-a-kind specimen has been described as “the single best and the single most valuable Michael Jordan card – and the most sought-after – that has ever been produced”, so the mind-blowing price comes as no surprise.

This 1864 letter from Abraham Lincoln to teacher and abolitionist Mrs Horace Mann, widow of the great educational reformer Horace Mann, is a response to a petition requesting the president free enslaved children.

Known as the 'Little People Letter', the missive has been described as Lincoln's most personal and powerful statement on slavery. In 2008, it sold at a Sotheby's auction for $3.4 million ($5.1m/£3.8m today), a record for an American letter. And it's not the only autograph from Lincoln to feature on this list...

One of the most important and celebrated documents in US history, Abraham Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation from 1863 declared that all enslaved people in Confederate territory were to be freed.

In 2010, a signed copy that once belonged to Robert Kennedy fetched $3.8 million ($5.6m/£4.2m today) when it went under the hammer at Sotheby's New York.

The most valuable signed sports trading card is a 2009-10 Playoff National Treasures Rookie Logoman Autograph Stephen Curry, which sold for a whopping $5.9 million ($7m/£5.3m today) in 2021.

Incidentally, the most expensive sports trading card ever is an unsigned Mickey Mantle specimen from 1952, which realised $12.6 million (£9.5m) at auction in 2022.

The most valuable signed object of all time is George Washington's personal copy of the US Constitution and Bill of Rights from 1789, complete with the first POTUS' handwritten notes.

The esteemed document fetched $9.8 million ($13.7m/£10.3m today) at a Christie's sale in 2012. It was bought by a member of the board running the president's Virginia estate and now resides in the new George Washington Presidential Library at Mount Vernon.

Now discover the 19 most valuable movie posters, ranked