John Hancock Autographs
John Hancock (January 23, 1737 – October 8, 1793) was an American Founding Father, merchant, statesman, and prominent Patriot of the American Revolution. He was the longest-serving president of the Continental Congress, having served as the second president of the Second Continental Congress and the seventh president of the Congress of the Confederation. He was the first and third governor of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. His large and stylish signature on the United States Declaration of Independence led to John Hancock or Hancock becoming a colloquialism for a person's signature. He also signed the Articles of Confederation, and used his influence to ensure that Massachusetts ratified the United States Constitution in 1788.
Before the American Revolution, Hancock was one of the wealthiest men in the Thirteen Colonies, having inherited a profitable mercantile business from his uncle. He began his political career in Boston as a protégé of Samuel Adams, an influential local politician, though the two men later became estranged. Hancock used his wealth to support the colonial cause as tensions increased between colonists and Great Britain in the 1760s. He became very popular in Massachusetts, especially after British officials seized his sloop Liberty in 1768 and charged him with smuggling. Those charges were eventually dropped; he has often been described as a smuggler in historical accounts, but the accuracy of this characterization has been questioned.
Hancock was born on January 23, 1737, in Braintree, Massachusetts, in a part of town that eventually became the separate city of Quincy. He was the son of Colonel John Hancock Jr. of Braintree and Mary Hawke Thaxter (widow of Samuel Thaxter Junior), who was from nearby Hingham. As a child, Hancock became a casual acquaintance of young John Adams, whom the Reverend Hancock had baptized in 1735. The Hancocks lived a comfortable life and owned one slave to help with household work.
Read more about John Hancock on Wikipedia
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Current items with a signature of John Hancock
These are the most current items with a signature of John Hancock that were listed on eBay and on other online stores - click here for more items.
Traded items with a signature of John Hancock
The most expensive item with a signature of John Hancock (Orig. JOHN HANCOCK 1767 Signed/Penned Brig Betsy Whaling Ship Document PSA/DNA) was sold in June 2025 for $27,535.00 while the cheapest item (2018 The Bar Pieces Of The Past John Hancock signed document relic card) found a new owner for $0.99 in June 2020. The month with the most items sold (11) was August 2016 with an average selling price of $16.50 for an autographed item of John Hancock. Sold items reached their highest average selling price in June 2025 with $13,778.49 and the month that saw the lowest prices with $5.50 was November 2020. In average, an autographed item from John Hancock is worth $43.00.
Most recently, these items with a signature of John Hancock were sold on eBay - click here for more items.
Latest News about John Hancock
FACT CHECK: John Hancock on His Declaration of Independence Signature (07/30/2001): Did John Hancock say this when he signed the Declaration of Independence? 
