John Hancock, former president of United States Congress, has arguably one of the most famous signatures around. As the first signer of the Declaration of Independence, he led the charge for what was considered treason against the king. Popular history writes that he wrote his name in such large letters so that "The fat old king could read it without his spectacles." Because of his bravery, hand lettering signatures are now often referred to as a ‘John Hancock.’
Bored Panda has compiled a list of other famous peoples ‘Hancocks,’ and some of these artists' signatures are so extravagant they knock the congressman down a few spots. Some popular celebrities even scrawled a cartoon image by their name, and I’m sure you can imagine what Walt Disney drew. While some of these famous names are inspired, some people need to up their game or practice their handwriting. Scroll down below to see some of the best and worst autographs, and perhaps you will be motivated to work on your own penmanship. Never know when you could get famous, right? Don’t forget to upvote the most beautiful signatures!
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Vincent Price - American Actor, Well Known For His Distinctive Voice And Performances In Horror Films
On the flip side, Picasso does not need a signature like this, because he is Picasso. Hence, his simple signature. :)
Load More Replies...It probably took less than a minute, after he mastered it. #RIPMrPrice
Load More Replies...So the drawing is a part of his signature?? 🤔🤷🏾♂️ Cool indeed. 😎
His voice always got on nerves- but he was an acclaimed astute actor so what the hell- Salute dear Vincent!
John Hancock - The First And Third Governor Of The Commonwealth Of Massachusetts
I tried to copy the signature. here are the results. sorry about how bad the lighting is, my parents don't know I am up at 10:11 at night. john-hamco...86abf3.png
I really wish I could sign like that instead of the "spider in its death throes" look I have going on.
His signature looks like its printed while mine looks like a doctor's writing
Anyone else hear that corny commercial from the 70s, "Put yur John Hancock on a John Hancock"? I see what they meant now- damn he had it going on!
Walt Disney - American Entrepreneur, Animator, Voice Actor And Film Producer
Who else expected his signature to look like the loopy Walt Disney lettering that’s shown in Disney movies?
It is when he took more time to write it. The logo is literally his signature.
Load More Replies...American Entrepreneur, Animator, Voice Actor, Film Producer and racial provocateur (read: total racist).
Elizabeth I - Queen Of England And Ireland From 1558 To 1603
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Load More Replies...Those weird tinsels were quite fashionable at the time for signatures
Pablo Picasso - Spanish Painter And Sculptor Best Known For Co-Founding The Cubist Movement
According to rumor, his signature was so valuable that people wouldn't cash checks he wrote them.
what do you think of my copy of it that I made? sorry about the lighting. I also ran out of space sooo... sorry. picaso-623...f88788.png
Kurt Vonnegut - American Novelist, Satirist
This man is just as brilliant and original as his signature, what a genius!
Can you imagine trying to fit that signature at the bottom of a check?
RIP Kurt Vonnegut... thanks for your writing it kept me afloat
Mahatma Gandhi - Indian Activist Who Was The Leader Of The Indian Independence Movement Against British Rule
He did not sign solely in English. Here are his signatures in 7 languages. Gandhi-Signature.jpg
Martin Luther King - American Baptist Minister And Activist Who Became The Leader In The Civil Rights Movement
tada?? sorry about how bad it is I am not that good. mlk-623c02...621414.png
I'm glad they didn't address him as "Dr.", because he didn't hold a doctorate in anything
Marilyn Monroe - American Actress, Model And Singer
Can't you see her practicing it until it came naturally?
Load More Replies...Beautiful, cultured signature. Clean, clear, unpretentious, yet sophisticated.
Absolutely perfect. First and last name complete. Discernible letters. Stunning flow.
Something something more fast words MARILYN MONROE everyone knows dat song
Keiji Inafune - Japanese Video Game Producer, Illustrator And Businessman, The Co-Creator Of Megaman
I wonder how their passports look with all these drawing-signatures...
They prob have a different signature for official documents vs autographs
Load More Replies...Even with the cool, whimsical sketch, I still have no idea. Inafune's signature is a step above that of Willie Nelson.
Terrific artist but where's the signature it's totally and completely lost just squiggles
The "name" part of this signature is very confusing. Is the first line an I?
Albrecht Dürer - A Painter, Printmaker And Theorist Of The German Renaissance
A brand of really nice watercolour pencils too :') That signature is kinda metal
tada?????! DDDD-623c0...ad0e67.png
John Lennon - English Singer, Songwriter, And Peace Activist Who Co-Founded The Beatles
I am sorry for interrupting your day, for how bad it is, and how, well, everything about it. but here is my drawing of it. lemon-623c...e317bc.png
Reminiscent of being stuck in Charlotte traffic during rush hour. The smile is an additional "f*ck you." That John Lennon sure was a pistol wasn't he?
John actually had two different signatures!
Keanu Reeves - Canadian Actor, Director, Producer, And Musician
Michael Jackson - American Singer, Songwriter, And Dancer
OK, I'm really sorry if this offends you but...Jackson's plastic surgified-face gives me the creeps. It just does. It's the face of someone who has done many things, not of all them good. Seen stuff too. It's the face of a hurt person, a sad person, an angry person and a scared person. It's the face of regret. And it's a face we have to learn from. Everyone, and I mean everyone, on this planet is unique and beautiful. They don't need to try and be someone they're not. Thank you.
The last letter of Michael overlaying the J in Jackson has to have some psychological significance; he's overcoming his father there?
I do hate when people call him a pedophile while not knowing a s**t. Always. Every time someone does that they use the payoff and that the Leaving Neverland accusers are credible in their minds and alleged childporn being found at Neverland when the judge in the 2005 trial together with the prosecution went out in a public statement saying that no, there wasn't any childporn. The payoff didn't buy anyone's silence. The Chandlers could still have pressed criminal charges. He paid because the civil case went before the criminal and if you don't know why that is bad then you get to google it up yourself. The law was changed because of that particular incident so that a criminal trial must come before a civil one, which should tell you it's bad. The Leaving Neverland accusers aren't believable at all, changing stories, the timeline, seeking $1.5 billion dollars from the Jackson Estate and then the huge train station lie and I just can't. People who blindly believe them are nutshells.
Looks like the final N is plunging in a b******e ! (sorry :-p )
To his credit, I can place the signature with Michael Jackson. The weird pucker at the end is unnerving. The more you know.
Funny how everyone forgets he payed a family $10,000,000 so they wouldn't press charges for molesting their son. A lot of celebrities are not convicted for some reason. Go ahead down vote me, you people with your head in the sand
Load More Replies...Hugh Jackman - Australian Actor, Singer, And Producer
It fits because he's such a cool guy, and he seems pretty down-to-earth.
Load More Replies...I think there's something in the water over there! Lol
Load More Replies...David Bowie - English Singer-Songwriter And Actor
R.I.P David Bowie, may you rest forever in our hearts, minds and ears.
tada??? bowie-623c...a15d1c.png
He gets a arrow up just because he's fanFuckingtastic- tho his signature looks like a trademark!
George Washington - 1st President Of The United States
G. Waſhington Probably using: ſ = The long, medial, or descending s ( ſ or ∫ )
Letters are not only consistent with the period, they are discernible. Very clean.
Leonardo Da Vinci - Italian Painter, Sculptor, Architect, Engineer And Inventor
More and scientist than painter: Only about 30 paintings are known. I still wonder if he was really human or came from the future.
His inventions are not so out of this world, he grew up among arabs and was very influenced by them his whole life. And many of his inventions were things that were already being tried for centuries by said arabs (flying machines for example)
Load More Replies...I hate to say this but, it looks like my third grader daughter wrote this!!! I am kinda disappointed?
Looks like something that Andy Dufresne was trying to scribble when he was in solitary. "Get me the hell out of here. Shawshank is going down."
Okay... so now we know it was actually his apprentices who made all that amazing art ;(
Bruce Lee - Actor, Film Director, Martial Artist, Martial Arts Instructor And Philosopher
Jay Leno - American Comedian, Actor, Writer, Producer, And Television Host
That's the very same one you see on the Big Dog Productions logo (Big Dog Productions being his production company).
Angelina Jolie - American Actress, Filmmaker, And Humanitarian
This looks like my signature when the DHL-delivery guy asks me to sign on that pocket machine they have.
Haha and my nails are to long so take it or leave it ;)
Load More Replies...if i hung around for ages, fighting the crowds, listening to the screaming all to get her autograph...I would be so disappointed. I'm sure I would cry, right there.
Yes, those 'forms' actually look like the mountains you see in antique Chinese paintings.
Load More Replies...She doesn’t know who she really is, and is constantly trying to find her place. She is restless, and gets bored easily. If she didn’t have all her kids, she’d be looking for another man. She hates to be alone, sleep alone, and craves reassurance by her loves, and thinks they should know how she feels by the way her face looks. She studies love like a problem to be solved, and she hasn’t met her one greatest love, her soul mate. When she finds this person, her signature will change and become softer and more readable. This person must match her will, and be stronger than she is, but more gentle and know how to soothe and reassure her at the same time. She will change as a person also, and take better care of herself, gain some weight, and be the happiest she has ever been. But she is in a huge transition for most of her life, but the time for her soulmate will come for her. He will not be American.
Impressed with your evaluation, how do I contact you, would love for you to give an evaluation of my signature.
Load More Replies...Jacob Joseph Lew - An American Attorney Who Was The 76th United States Secretary Of The Treasury
I would suspect, actually, that this is fairly difficult to forge. To do the correct number of loops of the correct size while moving the pen naturally (because they can tell if you don't) would probably be *harder* than doing the correct number of loops of something more familiar, ie letters. I mean, I'm not an expert. But I've played around with copying people's handwriting and that's just how it seems to me.
Load More Replies...I remember these on the greenbacks! Never realized was a signature! Wtf- man?
Victoria Beckham - English Businesswoman, Fashion Designer, Model, And Singer
me too. only after second look, i realized it is victoria. cool signature though
Load More Replies...Yeah, can't see her signing official documents with love on them all!
Load More Replies...I bet she hired somebody to design this for her and teach her how to write it. She's such a perfectionist every detail is important
You'll notice she doesn't dot her "I" with a smiley face. What a surprise!
Barack Obama - The 44th President Of The United States
I will forever only see a dinosaur playing with a ball of yarn when I look at his signature. Look it up..it’s hilarious and cute
I will never NOT see a dinosaur playing with a ball of yarn when I look at his signature. (Look it up!!)
Amy Winehouse - English Singer And Songwriter
Aw...R.I.P Amy. Went back to black and left the world much too soon. :(
She should’ve cleaned up her act, and she would be alive today. Just sayin’
Load More Replies...Only Cher & Celine can do that... but actually she can’t do it anymore, she’s dead!
Load More Replies...Thom Yorke - English Musician And Composer, And The Singer And Principal Songwriter Of The Alternative Rock Band Radiohead
When he was twelve years old, he carved that into a Beatles album with a safety pin. I think it was The White Album. Anyway, he played that record to death because he would carve his name in it repeatedly, left it out in the hot sun to warp, listened to it some more, carved random messages into the vinyl, listened to it as the audio deteriorated over time, and that's how Radiohead got its sound.
His wonky teeth are a fantastic distraction from his wonky eyes. British to the bone :D
FYI, in terms of good teeth & dental care, Britain is tied with / sometimes only 2nd to Germany in the world rankings. But don't let the facts get in the way of stereotypes or anything.
Load More Replies...Mark Zuckerberg - Facebook's Founder And CEO
Samuel L Jackson - American Actor And Film Producer
This is obviously fake. I see the "Samuel", I see "L", I see the "Jackson". I don't see no "M**********r". Fake.....yaaaawn.
Steven Tyler - American Singer, Songwriter, Musician, Actor, And Former Television Music Competition Judge. He Is Best Known As The Lead Singer Of The Boston-Based Rock Band Aerosmith
Looks like a middle school attempt! Pink is my favorite color, too but Mr Tyler yur mouth is huge!
Tom Hanks - American Actor And Filmmaker Known For His Comedic And Dramatic Roles
Anne Hathaway - American Actress And Singer
She is gorgeous. But I fear she is also a royal b***h and a stupendous pain in the a*s. Such a shame.
I see she is not wearing priceless diamonds on her lovely neck XDXDXD
Morgan Freeman - American Actor, Producer, And Narrator
Prince - American Singer, Songwriter, Musician, Record Producer And Filmmaker
what did he sign when he was the artist formerly known as prince?
Whitney Houston - American Singer, Actress, Producer, And Model
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart - Prolific And Influential Composer Of The Classical Era
Oprah Winfrey - American Media Proprietor, Talk Show Host, Actress, Producer, And Philanthropist
Gosh all these negative comments might make her cry. Oh, wait, she a kabillionaire and couldn't care less about any of you haters.
Patricia, I love you for using "couldn't care less" correctly. I shouldn't care, but most people do not understand negative sentence structure. Bless you!
Load More Replies...Nanni 17 what are you talking about? The fact there is a shadow on her breasts? So...her breasts are the only thing that matter? What about her lovely smile? Her nice face? Her cool earrings? Her stylish clothing choices? When you look at this picture, are you immediately looking at her breasts? I'm sorry, but that is messed up.
Stephen Hawking - English Theoretical Physicist, Cosmologist, And Author
Brilliant person, brilliant mind, brilliant soul. May he rest in peace, finally free.
Finally free of what....? I don't want to sound combative here but the man himself said many times that his wheelchair didn't have him trapped; that he became the scientist he was because of his wheelchair. He was already a brilliant scientist, suffering a debilitating disease, and the chair gave him the freedom to continue learning and discovering and sharing his wealth of knowledge. So if you're saying "free" as in free of his illness, I agree, but please understand that he didn't feel limited by his mobility device, because like many disabled people, it gave him the tools necessary to live life to the fullest he could manage.
Load More Replies...he was fine until he was 21 years old, his final year in Oxford. so i think he could write his own signature. maybe the signature been computerized. maybe.
Load More Replies...Kurt Cobain - American Singer, Songwriter, And Musician Who Was The Lead Singer Of The Grunge Band Nirvana
I always wondered what it would be like if he was still alive and Nirvana would still be making music
Leonard Nimoy - American Actor, Film Director, Photographer, Author, Singer And Songwriter, Best Known For His Role As Spock Of The Star Trek Franchise
The first and last letters of his first name look like his Spock ears. Subliminal?
Antonio Banderas - Spanish Actor, Singer, And Producer
Neil Patrick Harris -American Actor, Writer, Producer, Comedian, Magician, And Singer
It's all those contracts where you have it initial in a dozen places. Initial here to have Evian in the commode. Initial here for a baby elephant in your dressing room for the twins to play with. He gave up and that's now his signature too.
There is a reason why I bought a Mac, it was not to be one of the cool kids that wanted the best of the best. No it was because of the music production I do on it. Hours and hours sitting in front of my Mac copying, pasting, moving, deleting, hour after hour just beating on my Mac in a endless assault to get my work done. That is the key part, my work. I work from home, it is great, but even if it is from home it is still work and it still needs to get done. So my Mac, I have it because it is fast, gets the job done and comes back for more. But what happens when it doesn’t want to do those things anymore? I move around massive amounts of information and yes even on the almighty Mac this can cause a problem after a while. Things fragment, programs get corrupted issues come up. My light speed Mac slows down to a crawl and all of the sudden I simply can not get any work done. Because I work from home there is no IT guy to call and ask to come fix it. No instead I have to figure out what
Heath Ledger - Australian Actor And Director
I negated whoever that idiot that downvoted your comment because How Could Anyone Downvote That? An idiot, of course! A beautiful man gone way too soon!
Load More Replies...Annie Lennox - Scottish Singer, Songwriter, Political Activist And Philanthropist
She is without a doubt one of the most talented, kindest, most caring people out there. She grew up from nothing. She made her way through life through hard work and talent and still one of the most humble, down to earth, real people out there. True class in every sense.
Love her songs one of my favorite is ...Love Song For A Vampire
Load More Replies...Judith Sheindlin - Professionally Known As Judge Judy, Is An American Prosecution Lawyer, Former Manhattan Family Court Judge And Television Personality
I liked her until I saw her recently defending the scum in the whitehouse! Terribly disappointed. Wealth seems to make people lose their senses. Crodidgy old b***h.
Load More Replies...Bill Gates - Founder Of Microsoft Corporation
Jackie Chan - Hong Kong Martial Artist, Actor, Film Director, Producer, Stuntman, And Singer
J. K. Rowling - British Writer Best Known For The Harry Potter Fantasy Series
Elizabeth II - Queen Of The United Kingdom And The Other Commonwealth Realms
The "R" stands for queen/ king every queen/king of England has to use it at the end of their chosen name.
Huge difference between the signatures of the first and the second Elizabeth.
observe the signature. it says lilybeth. it is queen's nick name given by her mother.
I wonder what the 'r' at the end means? The other Elizabeth had the same thing.
It stands for "Queen" so the signature is "Queen Elisabeth" the R is for Regina the latin word for Queen. All a bit convoluted but yeah...
Load More Replies...Steve Jobs - CEO Of Apple Inc.
Elvis Presley - American Rock Musician
Daniel Radcliffe - English Actor Best Known For His Role As Harry Potter In The Film Series Of The Same Name
Or with his gun in his bathrobe and slippers in the street
Load More Replies...Emma Stone - American Actress
Cannot see her name anywhere, but for some reason loving this signature <3
I see a "please, sign here" after swiping the card you pay your groceries with. ♥
Load More Replies...It sure does look like Emma was stoned when she sighed this one
Neil Armstrong - American Astronaut And Aeronautical Engineer Who Was The First Person To Walk On The Moon
Will Smith - American Actor, Producer, Rapper, Comedian, And Songwriter
Are you sure it's his? I don't see any letters that correspond with his name.
How can this signature be real, if our eyes aren't real...? *DEEP* Also, prime candidate for post-natal abortion.
Diego Maradona - Argentine Retired Professional Footballer And Manager
If God had been a one-hit-wonder, fat, useless, irrelevant, coke-addict, r******d, arthritis in his wrist because he can't even afford hooker anymore, and almost dead...? Yeah, Hail Diego.
Load More Replies...Robert Downey Jr - American Actor
Arnold Schwarzenegger - Austrian-American Actor, Filmmaker, Politician And Former Professional Bodybuilder And Powerlifter
Who's going to question what says there?? (I bet he added Terminator somewhere in between)
Sylvester Stallone - American Actor And Filmmaker
Jim Carrey - Canadian-American Actor, Comedian, Impressionist, Screenwriter, Musician, Producer And Painter
Justin Timberlake - American Singer-Songwriter, Actor, Dancer, And Record Producer
Ha! He wishes, he's like a mini man but he's made the bigtime. He could buy new legs if he wanted!
Load More Replies...Rowan Atkinson - English Actor, Comedian, And Screenwriter Best Known For His Work On The Sitcoms Blackadder And Mr. Bean
Clinton Eastwood - American Actor, Filmmaker, Musician, And Political Figure
Leonardo DiCaprio - American Actor, Film Producer, And Environmental Activist
Brad Pitt - American Actor And Film Producer
Bruce Willis - American Actor, Producer, And Singer
Oh yes, he's got like 3 albums. And quite a nice voice!
Load More Replies...Johnny Depp - American Actor, Producer, And Musician
I am totally over-analyzing here but... it seems the people with the quirkiest personalities have the strangest signatures. Groundbreaking idea, I know.
It's kinda hard to write straight while trying to captain a ship and being too drunk on rum
Load More Replies...Johnnys signature is actually what made me google search other celebrities signatures in the first place lol
Stephen Gilchrist Glover (Steve-O) - Actor, Stunt Performer, Producer, Comedian, Author, Musician, And Clown
I mean, he did bust his a*s(literally and figuratively speaking) to get through clown college. Id be proud of it tbh, also his class was one of, if not the, last classes of the Ringling Bros. Clown Collage
Load More Replies...Hillary Clinton - American Politician And Diplomat
I admire her for signing all three names. I gave up after the second year of marriage.
David Gilmour - English Guitarist, Singer And Songwriter Best Known As A Longtime Member Of The Progressive Rock Band Pink Floyd
Nicki Minaj - Trinidadian-Born American Rapper, Singer, Songwriter, Model, And Actress
Steven Spielberg - American Filmmaker
Jason Biggs - American Actor And Comedian
Sandra Bullock - American Actress, Producer, And Philanthropist
Kate Winslet - English Actress
Beyonce - American Singer, Songwriter, Actress, And Businesswoman
Shia LaBeouf - American Actor, Performance Artist, And Filmmaker
Beside the dollar sign, its it says SHIA with all letters written one in top of the other.
Do you wanna play tic tac toe? Actually nevermind, we don't have time *scribbles*
Muhammad Ali Jinnah - Pakistani Lawyer And Politician
Amanda Seyfried - American Actress, Model, And Singer-Songwriter
Madonna - American Singer, Songwriter, Actress, And Businesswoman
James Franco - American Actor, Filmmaker, And College Instructor
First name is not james here, it's more like a face, a character, Franco is all that matters.
Tom Cruise - American Actor And Producer
three big boobs, the pic and two in the signature. lol
Load More Replies...Justin Bieber - Canadian Singer, Actor And Songwriter
You are not a real Canadian... I am embarrassed for the entire country (and I, as a true Canadian apologises to everyone that read your idiotic comments).
Load More Replies...Russell Crowe - Actor, Film Producer And Musician
Donald Trump - 45th And Current President Of The United States
I can imagine him making this signature by grabbing the pen into his fist. Sometimes maybe the paper tears too.
Is that seismic activity?? it looks like this comes from a seismograph...
Tim Allen - American Actor And Comedian
Mel Gibson - Actor And Filmmaker
Kanye West - American Rapper, Singer, Songwriter And Record Producer
Adolf Hitler - German Politician Who Was The Leader Of The Nazi Party, Chancellor Of Germany And Dictator Of Nazi Germany
A lot like tRump's, except sideways. The same spikes.
Load More Replies...its because the author of the article is a neo-nazi. Hitler is number 88 on the list because "88" is code for "HH" or "Heil Hitler"
Load More Replies...its because the author of the article is a neo-nazi. Hitler is number 88 on the list because "88" is code for "HH" or "Heil Hitler"
Load More Replies...its because the author of the article is a neo-nazi. Hitler is number 88 on the list because "88" is code for "HH" or "Heil Hitler"
Load More Replies...It's pretty unique. Never seen a signature with such a large space between the two parts.
John Hancock's signature is not famous because of its "flourish." It's famous because of its size. He wrote it that big so the king of England could see it "without using his spectacles." All the signers would have been hanged for treason if America had lost the revolution. Hancock was showing his bravery in his signature. Learn your history Bored Panda.
Thank you for your comment we have updated our post.
Load More Replies...I wonder how different their autograph signatures are from their “official document” signatures, especially the drawing signatures
Most vary from their everyday signature, EXCEPT John Hancock... his is on our Declaration of Independence- along with several other well known ”four fathers”.
Load More Replies...I feel that I would like some of these people more than others just by looking at their signature.
Wish I had a cool signature. Mine just looks like messy cursive with no style.
Same! Mine doesn't look any different than it did on my first drivers lisence at 16!
Load More Replies...my favorite singers are michael jackson, prince, and whitney houston. i really loved their signatures. they were really good and i love them. especially michael!
I met Nicholas Cage in a San Francisco restaurant & got his signature on a random card from my purse. Super nice guy but just a bit of a strange bird. I met David Lee Roth after winning a radio contest. He was a douche!
And the moral of the story is: get terrbile handwriting, it'll make you famous.
It isn't "handwriting," though. Many of these are autographs, not signatures.
Load More Replies...John Hancock's signature is not famous because of its "flourish." It's famous because of its size. He wrote it that big so the king of England could see it "without using his spectacles." All the signers would have been hanged for treason if America had lost the revolution. Hancock was showing his bravery in his signature. Learn your history Bored Panda.
Thank you for your comment we have updated our post.
Load More Replies...I wonder how different their autograph signatures are from their “official document” signatures, especially the drawing signatures
Most vary from their everyday signature, EXCEPT John Hancock... his is on our Declaration of Independence- along with several other well known ”four fathers”.
Load More Replies...I feel that I would like some of these people more than others just by looking at their signature.
Wish I had a cool signature. Mine just looks like messy cursive with no style.
Same! Mine doesn't look any different than it did on my first drivers lisence at 16!
Load More Replies...my favorite singers are michael jackson, prince, and whitney houston. i really loved their signatures. they were really good and i love them. especially michael!
I met Nicholas Cage in a San Francisco restaurant & got his signature on a random card from my purse. Super nice guy but just a bit of a strange bird. I met David Lee Roth after winning a radio contest. He was a douche!
And the moral of the story is: get terrbile handwriting, it'll make you famous.
It isn't "handwriting," though. Many of these are autographs, not signatures.
Load More Replies...
