Martin Luther King Jr.
Signed until 1968, so the supply is fixed — nothing new is being added to this market.
Recorded sales
| Date | What sold | Certified | Price | Evidence |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-07-09 | 1957 signed and inscribed original Type I photograph captioned with words from his speech ending the Montgomery bus boycott | PSA/DNA and JSA | $31,827 | auction result |
| 2026-07-09 | Signed print encapsulated by PSA and framed | PSA/DNA Auto Mint 9 | $22,031 | auction result |
| 2024-09-22 | Signed and inscribed copy of Stride Toward Freedom: The Montgomery Story | PSA/DNA and JSA | $11,712 | auction result |
| 2024-04-14 | Signed typed letter of 3 July 1961 in a framed display | JSA | $8,845 | auction result |
| 2023-08-31 | Signed and inscribed copy of Stride Toward Freedom | JSA | $8,400 | auction result |
| 2023-03-09 | Signed and inscribed TIME cover of 19 March 1965 framed | JSA | $7,500 | auction result |
| 2026-07-09 | 2015 The Bar cut autograph card #TB-MLK02 signed and inscribed numbered 1 of 1 | Beckett and JSA Card BGS 9.5 / Auto 9 | $7,324 | auction result |
| 2020-12-14 | Signed copy of Stride Toward Freedom | PSA/DNA | $4,800 | auction result |
| 2015-08-09 | Signed TWA in-flight menu | PSA/DNA and JSA Auto 9 | $3,300 | auction result |
| 2019-08-11 | Signed cut | Beckett | $2,880 | auction result |
| 2017-04-30 | Signed 1965 Syracuse University banquet programme framed | PSA/DNA | $2,400 | auction result |
| 2016-10-30 | Signed and inscribed copy of Why We Can't Wait (1964) | PSA/DNA | $2,280 | auction result |
By certification level
These are 12 results this index has recorded from Heritage Auctions between 2015 and 2026, not every sale that happened. They under-represent inexpensive items, which sell constantly and are reported rarely, and they exclude private sales this index has no record of. Read them as documented evidence rather than as a complete market.
About this signature
- Status
- Signed until 1968supply is fixed
- Note
- Civil rights leader
- On this index
- 0 listedno sales recorded yet
What does a signed Martin Luther King Jr. item cost?
More than most signers on this index. The cheapest certified item here, a signed and inscribed copy of Why We Can't Wait, sold for $2,280, and a signed cut for $2,880. At the top, an original 1957 photograph, signed and inscribed, sold for $31,827. Compare John F. Kennedy, whose certified letters and photographs mostly sold for a few thousand dollars.
Which signed King book turns up most?
Stride Toward Freedom, his 1958 account of the Montgomery bus boycott. Three certified copies appear here: $4,800 in 2020, an inscribed copy at $8,400 in 2023, and an inscribed copy with both PSA/DNA and JSA letters at $11,712 in 2024. We look at what an inscription adds in when the writing beside the name is worth more than the name.
Why do his photographs sell so high?
The two dearest items on this page are photographs, both sold at Goldin in July 2026. A 1957 original photograph, printed at the time and captioned on the back with words from his speech ending the Montgomery bus boycott, made $31,827. A signed print, not an original photograph but with a PSA/DNA autograph grade of Mint 9, made $22,031. Both carry a clear signature on an image of the man, and the earlier one is tied to the event that made him a national figure.
Signatures are reproduced more often than most buyers realise, by outright forgery and also by machines and assistants signing on somebody’s behalf. Every item on this page has been examined by PSA/DNA, JSA, Beckett, SGC or CGC, and this index carries nothing else. That is a deliberate restriction, and the investigation that created the modern authentication industry is worth reading, along with what a certificate actually claims.