The Most Valuable Celebrity Autograph Ever Marks Tragic Moment in History

Celebrity culture is fascinating to many people. To truly devoted fans, the opportunity to own even a tiny piece of their favorite star seems really incredible. On par with clothes or other memorabilia that has gone up for auction, are autographs. The cost of autographs vary based on the star and the era, and certain pieces can command big bucks. Collectors have shelled out thousands upon thousands of dollars for some of the rarest autographs for sale.

Valuable celebrity autographs

There are two types of celebrity autograph collectors. There’s the casual fan, who really just wants to own a small piece of their idol. Then there is the collector, who goes after valuable autographs for the purpose of selling them at auction, often for a huge profit. Sadly, most casual fans will never be able to afford some of the world’s most coveted celebrity autographs.

Some of the most valuable celebrity autographs are on pieces of memorabilia. One example of this is a guitar of Jimmy Pages’, which sold at auction for $73,000. Another coveted item is a baseball signed by Joe DiMaggio and Marilyn Monroe during their brief marriage. The baseball is thought to be the only item in existence that has been signed by both DiMaggio and Monroe. It sold at auction in 2006 for $191,000. Another very valuable item signed by a rock legend is Jimi Hendrix’s 1965 contract. Hendrix signed it only five years before his premature death, and the contract sold at auction in 2009 for $200,000.

he baseball is thought to be the only item in existence that has been signed by both DiMaggio and Monroe. It sold at auction in 2006 for $191,000. Another very valuable item signed by a rock legend is Jimi Hendrix’s 1965 contract. Hendrix signed it only five years before his premature death, and the contract sold at auction in 2009 for $200,000.

What is the most expensive celebrity autograph?

Far and away the most valuable celebrity autograph has a very tragic story attached to it. In 1980, John Lennon stopped to sign a copy of his album Double Fantasy for a fan named David Mark Chapman. A few hours later, the obsessed fan returned to Lennon’s New York City apartment and shot the singer dead at the age of forty.

The signed copy of Double Fantasy from the day John Lennon was killed is worth an astronomical amount. In 2003, the estimated value was $525,000 and in 2017, it went up for auction for $1.8 million. 

Which signatures are worth millions?

While celebrity autographs have a steep price tag, the most expensive signatures of all time don’t belong to entertainment figures. Reportedly, the second most valuable signature belongs to Abraham Lincoln; specifically, the signatures he wrote on the twenty-six surviving copies of the Emancipation Proclamation in 1864. Most of the copies are kept in museums around the world, however some are owned by private collectors. The most to date that has been paid for one of the copies is $3.7 million.

The most expensive autograph belongs to America’s first president, George Washington. Washington’s personal signed copy of the Constitution, Bill of Rights, and the First Congress is worth millions and in 2012, sold for $9.8 million. The non-profit organization that purchased the documents immediately placed them in Washington Presidential Library in the White House, for future generations to view and admire.