10 most valuable autographs in the world: celebrity murals that are worth a fortune today

2024 Author: Richard Flannagan | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-15 23:55

Autographs, especially of those who are historical or world famous figures, can be really valuable. Fans from all over the world flock to their idols, spellboundly holding out markers with scraps of paper in order to get the cherished flourish. But as it turned out, the signatures of sports icons, politicians, famous scientists and even criminals can be much more valuable than the autographs of singers or movie stars, especially if they are written in something that is characteristic of their kind of activity.

1. Acts of Congress of George Washington: $ 9.8 million

The first line on this list of the most expensive autographs belongs to a personal copy of the Constitution of George Washington, the Bill of Rights and the first Congress. He signed the first page of this book, which was up for auction at Sotheby's in 2012. The collectible was immediately purchased by Anne Boucout, a board member of the Vernon Womens Association, a non-profit organization that manages Virginia property in Washington DC. The association paid a whopping sum of nearly ten million dollars for this rare piece of memorabilia in order to place the book in its rightful place in the Washington Presidential Library in the White House.

2. Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation: $ 3.7 million

In 1864, a year before his death, President Abraham Lincoln signed 48 copies of the Emancipation Declaration that ended slavery in the United States. Twenty-six copies of this historic document survive to this day, and they are on display in universities and museums, and some of them are in private hands. In 1991, a copy of this document was sold for seven hundred and fifty thousand dollars. And in 2012, another copy was bought by billionaire David Rubenstein for two million. As it turned out later, the autograph was on a copy of the document that once belonged to Bobby Kennedy, which was put up for sale in 2010. An anonymous collector paid a staggering $ 3.7 million for her, setting a new record for the most expensive autograph to date.

3. John Lennon's autograph for his killer: $ 525,000

December 8, 1980 is the darkest day in the history of music. On this day, the Beatles star John Lennon met an untimely death at the hands of an assassin named Mark David Chapman. Earlier that day, Chapman got Lennon's autograph on a copy of his recently released Double Fantasy album. And then, he returned a few hours later and fired five fatal shots at the superstar, sending him to his grave at a relatively young (forty years old) age. Surprisingly, after the deed, David Mark Chapman did not escape. He calmly read JD Salinger's famous book The Catcher in the Rye and waited for the police. In 2003, Lennon's autographed album cost $ 525,000, and today its cost is much higher.

4. Autographed Babe Ruth baseball: $ 388,375

Babe Ruth was known as the "Sultan of Swat" during his record-breaking baseball career, which stretched from 1914 to 1935. During this time period, he signed many baseballs and one of them was sold in 2014 for a fabulous two hundred and fifty thousand dollars. And this is not surprising at all, given the fan-ass invasion of the baseball superstar. However, the Babe Ruth collectible broke all records compared to the previous series of balls when it went on sale in 2012. As a result, at one of the auctions it cost $ 388.375, making it one of the most expensive baseballs ever sold in history.

5. Jimi Hendrix Contract: $ 200,000

Jimi Hendrix was the epitome of the freedom-loving, hedonistic and vibrant lifestyle of the 1960s. His wild booze and drugs, however, took their toll, and the guitar God died at a tragically young (27 years old) age in 1970. Before his death, in 1965, he signed a contract in which he agreed to sell his rights for a paltry 1% royalties. Paradoxically, this signed contract now costs a small fortune. Hendrix's music also continues to top the charts even after his death. And it is not at all surprising that in 2009 at one of the auctions the contract of the legendary guitarist was sold for a tidy sum of two hundred thousand dollars. It is striking that over the years, Jimi never saw the true wealth earned by his own talent.

6. Autographs of Joe DiMaggio and Marilyn Monroe on a baseball: $ 191,200

Joe DiMaggio, New York Yankees baseball star, and his wife, sexy Hollywood hottie Marilyn Monroe, were one of the most famous celebrity couples in US history. So when they both signed the baseball, its value increased and, accordingly, the price skyrocketed. The occasion was the 1961 Yankees training in Florida. The famous autographed baseball is the only item co-signed by the celebrity couple. When it went on sale in 2006, an anonymous collector was willing to shell out $ 191,200 to add it to his collection.

7. Photo by Albert Einstein: $ 75,000

Albert Einstein was involved in serious research work, but he had his own joke attitude towards it. He mischievously stuck his tongue out in a photograph taken on his 72nd birthday by a photojournalist named Arthur Sasse. The event took place at Princeton University in March 1951. Einstein made many copies of this image, but only signed one or two. However, forgers copied his signature and created many fake copies of this iconic photograph. Experts proved that they were all fake, but in 2009 a genuine copy of the photograph went on sale. This was also confirmed by living members of the Einstein family. And it is not at all surprising that such an original autograph of a brilliant scientist went under the hammer for seventy-five thousand dollars.

8. Jimmy Page's autographed guitar: $ 73,000

Rock star autographs are popular with crazed fans. Jimmy Page was one of those idols that fans would do anything for. The legendary guitarist of the equally legendary rock band Led Zeppelin, known for such a hit as "Stairway to Heaven", from the very first chords slaughtered the crowd of fans on the spot. In 1963, Page signed the Gibson EDS-1275 guitar, and the item naturally made a lot of noise, creating a huge buzz around it, because the signature was authenticated as a genuine autograph. Moreover, this guitar is in excellent condition, which adds to its value. Of course, there are many guitars that experts believe were signed by Jimmy Page, but most of them were not authenticated as it is easy to copy this rock star's signature. Accordingly, such items bring in from a thousand to five thousand dollars at auctions. But an authenticated guitar autograph is naturally worth much more, and the ardent fan shell out seventy-three thousand dollars for it to express his love for the rock god's musical talent.

9. Autographed photo of Jesse James: $ 52,000

Jesse James was a notorious criminal in the United States in the 19th century. He earned a reputation as Robin Hood, who robbed the rich and gave to the poor. His gang wreaked havoc from 1866 to 1876 with a series of robberies across the country. The Governor of Missouri ordered James to be arrested or killed. Following his orders, an officer named Robert Ford shot him dead. James, being outlawed, rarely signed anything. So his autographed photo is worth a small fortune today. There is another signature by Jesse James, which is believed to be on the letter he wrote. However, the authenticity of this autograph is questionable, so it has no value. The signed photograph of James turned out to be genuine and went to his granddaughter, Ethel Rose James. When the autograph was put up at auction for twenty thousand, its original price increased sharply, as a result, this picture was sold for fifty-two thousand dollars.

10. Newspaper autographed by John F. Kennedy: $ 39,000

November 22, 1963 went down in history as one of the most unfortunate days because John F. Kennedy, the 35th President of the United States, was assassinated by Lee Harvey Oswald. Before his death, Kennedy signed the Dallas Morning News Daily for a young woman. This latest autograph closes the top ten most valuable autographs in the world today. Joseph Maddalena, who starred in Hollywood Treasures, bought this newspaper copy with Kennedy's latest autograph at a very bargain price of $ 39,000. He admitted that he is ready to pay much more for this valuable treasure. And to keep him safe, the man insured his valuable investment for half a million dollars.

As it turned out, not only autographs can be valuable, but also many other things. Such as:, brand and other "trinkets" for which the rich are ready to shell out a tidy sum.