The Most Iconic Sports Autographs, and What They Sell For

Ten signatures carry this hobby. They're the ones that set prices, the ones forgers copy, and the ones a collector builds a room around.

Here they are, with real numbers where real numbers exist. And a warning up front: two of the most-quoted "autograph records" on the internet aren't autograph sales at all. More on that at the bottom.

1. Babe Ruth

The most valuable signature in sports, and the benchmark everything else is measured against.

Ruth signed a great deal in his life, so the value isn't about scarcity of signatures. It's about condition and demand. A near-perfect single-signed Ruth baseball went for $388,375 in 2012. The 1939 Hall of Fame induction ball, with Ruth beside Cobb, Wagner, Mathewson and Johnson, sold for $632,369 in 2018.

Most surviving Ruth autographs have faded badly. A bold one on a clean item is the piece that brings those numbers.

2. Shoeless Joe Jackson

The rarest signature in baseball and arguably the most valuable per square inch of ink. Jackson was functionally illiterate and signed as little as possible, and fewer than two dozen authenticated examples are known.

A Jackson signature on plain paper trades between $50,000 and $100,000. The only known signed photograph of him sold for $1.47 million in 2021, which stands as a record for a signed photograph in any category. We go deeper on him in the rarest sports signatures in history.

3. Michael Jordan

The most valuable autograph in basketball and one of the most forged signatures on earth.

Jordan has signed under exclusive agreements for most of his post-playing life, which holds supply down and prices up. His signature has also changed a lot since the 1980s, so the era of the item and the style of the signature need to agree. Buy Jordan certified or don't buy Jordan.

4. Muhammad Ali

The most recognizable athlete signature outside baseball, and one with a story written into it. Ali's hand changed as Parkinson's progressed, from quick and confident in the 1960s to slow and labored near the end.

Early Ali on a period item is the premium version. Later signatures are more common and more affordable, and both are genuine, which makes this one of the more approachable legendary autographs.

5. Mickey Mantle

Mantle spent his later years signing at shows and did so willingly, so his autograph is available in a way Ruth's and Jackson's are not. That accessibility is why a Mantle is often a collector's first serious piece.

Value concentrates in what he signed. A signed ball or a signed photo from his playing days sits well above a late-career show signature on a flat.

6. Pelé

The most valuable signature in soccer, and a global market rather than an American one. Pelé signed a fair amount, so the premium is on what the item is rather than the ink itself. Anything tied to his Santos years or a World Cup carries the weight.

7. Wayne Gretzky

Hockey's benchmark. Gretzky signs under exclusive arrangements and has for a long time, so new supply is controlled and priced accordingly. Signed sticks and jerseys from his Oilers years are the pieces collectors chase.

8. Joe DiMaggio

DiMaggio understood the value of his own name better than almost any athlete of his era, and priced his signings accordingly. He also refused to sign certain things, including anything referencing Marilyn Monroe, which makes the crossover pieces extraordinary. A baseball signed by both of them sold for $191,200 in 2006.

9. Tom Brady

The most valuable autograph among modern football players. Brady has been under exclusive memorabilia contracts throughout his career, so signed Brady items arrive in planned quantities at set prices rather than flooding in from shows.

We stock signed Brady jerseys on official Nike jerseys north of $4,000, which is a fair marker for where a retired quarterback of that stature sits. Our post on custom versus licensed jerseys explains why the jersey underneath changes that number.

10. Jackie Robinson

Robinson died in 1972 at 53, so supply closed early and has only shrunk. Add the historical weight of what he did and you get a signature wanted by people who don't collect anything else. Genuine Robinson material is expensive and heavily forged, and certification matters as much here as anywhere.

Two records that get quoted wrong

You'll see both of these cited as evidence of what autographs sell for. Neither one is an autograph sale.

• Michael Jordan's 1998 Finals jersey, $10.1 million in 2022. That was a game-worn jersey. Its value came from the games it was worn in, not from a signature.
• The 1952 Topps Mickey Mantle, $12.6 million in 2022. That's a trading card, printed rather than signed. It's the most expensive sports card ever sold and it has nothing to do with Mantle's autograph.

We mention it because the confusion sets expectations wrong. Game-used and vintage cards operate in a different market from signatures, with different economics. If you're buying autographs, price them against other autographs.

What this means if you're buying

Every name on this list is heavily forged, and the more famous the signature, the better the fakes. The rules are the same at every price point.

Buy certified by PSA/DNA, JSA, Beckett or Fanatics, and look the serial number up yourself in their database. Match the signature style to the era of the item. Treat a bargain as a warning. Our guides to spotting a real autograph and what a COA guarantees cover the process, and our authentication page explains how the four authenticators differ.

For signatures you can actually buy today, the marketplace is the place to start. If you want the tier above this one, read the rarest signatures in sports, and for basketball specifically there's the most valuable NBA autographs.