Field Index — Standalone signed items — sports, music, film, historical

Autographs — Realized Sales Index

Autographs as a standalone category — signed photos, signed albums, signed historical documents — are the smallest of the Field Index's tracked categories by total dollars but the most-faked. Authentication is the single biggest value driver. JSA, PSA/DNA, Caiazzo (Beatles), and Beckett are the recognized authenticators; everything else trades at a deep discount.

Tracked sales: 3
Median sale: $96K
Highest sale: $191K
Aggregate hammer: $297K

What drives value

Authentication: JSA / PSA/DNA / Caiazzo (Beatles) / Beckett — major auction houses accept these
Documented signing event (date, location, witness)
Pre-WWII signatures with strong provenance — Ruth, Gehrig, Cobb, Wagner
Modern celebrities who signed less prolifically — Cobain, Hendrix, Dylan
Item the signature is on — sweet-spot ball, iconic album cover, in-person photograph

Where it sells

Heritage Auctions (sports, music, historical)
Memory Lane Inc. (sports)
Julien's Auctions (music)
RR Auction (mixed — sports, music, historical)
Raab Collection (presidential and historical documents)

Top comps in this category

1.
Babe Ruth single-signed baseball (sweet spot, blue ink)
$191K · Heritage Auctions
2.
Lou Gehrig single-signed baseball
$96K · Memory Lane Inc.
3.
Joe DiMaggio signed Louisville Slugger bat
$10K · Heritage Auctions

All tracked sales

Every autographs comp in the Field Index.

Searchable, sortable. Click any row for full provenance, source citations, comparable comps, and editorial notes.

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Showing 3 of 3 tracked sales.

Item	Price	Date ↓	Venue	Authentication
Joe DiMaggio signed Louisville Slugger bat Sports Autographs — Baseball	$10K	Dec 2024	Heritage Auctions	JSA LOA
Lou Gehrig single-signed baseball Sports Autographs — Baseball	$96K	Aug 2024	Memory Lane Inc.	PSA/DNA LOA
Babe Ruth single-signed baseball (sweet spot, blue ink) Sports Autographs — Baseball	$191K	Apr 2023	Heritage Auctions	JSA LOA (Full Letter)