John D. Rockefeller Autographs
John Davison Rockefeller Sr. (July 8, 1839 – May 23, 1937) was an American businessman and philanthropist. He was one of the wealthiest Americans of all time and one of the richest persons in modern history. Rockefeller was born into a large family in Upstate New York who moved several times before eventually settling in Cleveland, Ohio. He became an assistant bookkeeper at age 16 and went into several business partnerships beginning at age 20, concentrating his business on oil refining. Rockefeller founded the Standard Oil Company in 1870. He ran it until 1897 and remained its largest shareholder. In his retirement, he focused his energy and wealth on philanthropy, especially regarding education, medicine, higher education, and modernizing the Southern United States.
Rockefeller's wealth grew substantially as kerosene and gasoline became increasingly important commodities, eventually making him the richest person in the United States. By 1900, Standard Oil controlled about 90% of the nation's oil production. The company lowered production costs and expanded oil distribution through corporate and technological innovations, but it also benefited from a legal environment that enabled consolidation. Critics argue that regulatory capture played a role in facilitating its monopoly power–a view reinforced by Rockefeller's reputed remark, "Competition is a sin."
Rockefeller's company and business practices came under criticism, particularly in the writings of author Ida Tarbell. The Supreme Court ruled in 1911 that Standard Oil must be dismantled for violation of federal antitrust laws. It was broken up into 34 separate entities, which included companies that became ExxonMobil, Chevron Corporation, and others—some of which remain among the largest companies by revenue worldwide. Consequently, Rockefeller became the country's first billionaire, with a fortune worth nearly 2% of the national economy. His personal wealth was estimated in 1913 at $900 million, which was almost 3% of the US gross domestic product (GDP) of $39.1 billion that year.
Read more about John D. Rockefeller on Wikipedia
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Current items with a signature of John D. Rockefeller
These are the most current items with a signature of John D. Rockefeller that were listed on eBay and on other online stores - click here for more items.
| Picture | Item Title | Price | Store |
 | John D. Rockefeller 2 Volumes Slipcase SIGNED by Allan Nevins FIRST Edition 1940 | $125.00 |  |
Traded items with a signature of John D. Rockefeller
The most expensive item with a signature of John D. Rockefeller (Founder's Shares - Standard Oil Trust issued to & signed by John D. Rockefeller) was sold in March 2025 for $99,995.00 while the cheapest item (John D. Rockefeller IV autographed letter) found a new owner for $0.99 in September 2016. The month with the most items sold (9) was December 2025 with an average selling price of $149.98 for an autographed item of John D. Rockefeller. Sold items reached their highest average selling price in July 2016 with $5,999.99 and the month that saw the lowest prices with $0.99 was December 2011. In average, an autographed item from John D. Rockefeller is worth $122.51.
Most recently, these items with a signature of John D. Rockefeller were sold on eBay - click here for more items.
