Autographs of Nellie Melba

Dame Nellie Melba GBE (born Helen Porter Mitchell; 19 May 1861 – 23 February 1931) was an Australian operatic lyric coloratura soprano. She became one of the most famous singers of the late Victorian era and the early twentieth century, and was the first Australian to achieve international recognition as a classical musician. She took the pseudonym "Melba" from Melbourne, her home town.
Melba studied singing in Melbourne and made a modest success in performances there. After a brief and unsuccessful marriage, she moved to Europe in search of a singing career. Failing to find engagements in London, England, in 1886, she studied in Paris, France, and soon made a great success there and in Brussels, Belgium. Returning to London, she quickly established herself as the leading lyric soprano at Covent Garden from 1888. She soon achieved further success in Paris and elsewhere in Europe, and later at the Metropolitan Opera in New York City, debuting there in 1893. Her repertoire was small; in her whole career she sang no more than 25 roles and was closely identified with only 10. She was known for her performances in French and Italian opera, but sang little German opera.
During the First World War, Melba raised large sums for war charities. She returned to Australia frequently during the 20th century, singing in opera and concerts, and had a house built for her near Melbourne. She was active in the teaching of singing at the Melbourne Conservatorium. Melba continued to sing until the last months of her life and made a large number of "farewell" appearances. Her death, in Australia, was news across the English-speaking world, and her funeral was a major national event. The Australian $100 note features her image.
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Traded items with a signature of Nellie Melba

The most expensive item with a signature of Nellie Melba (Soprano Dame Nellie Melba Hand Signed Vintage French Benque Cabinet Photo Card) was sold in April 2025 for £255.91 while the cheapest item (DAME NELLIE MELBA,HAND SIGNED POSTCARD CLIPPED PIECE.) found a new owner for £0.99 in January 2020. The month with the most items sold (4) was December 2018 with an average selling price of £19.99 for an autographed item of Nellie Melba. Sold items reached their highest average selling price in April 2025 with £255.91 and the month that saw the lowest prices with £0.99 was October 2014. In average, an autographed item from Nellie Melba is worth £34.50.

Most recently, these items with a signature of Nellie Melba were sold on eBay - click here for more items.

Picture	Item Title	Price	Store
	1910 Dame Nellie Melba Autograph - Australian Opera Singer - Signed Picture	£37.05
	AUTOGRAPHED PHOTO OF DAME NELLIE MELBA + SIGNED LETTER	£49.99
	AUTOGRAPHED PHOTO OF OPERA SINGER Dame Nellie Melba soprano	£90.00
	Clara Butt & Robert Kennerley Rumford, Operatic Contralto, SIGNED, Nellie Melba	£35.00
	DAME NELLIE MELBA (1861-1931) OPERATIC SOPRANO,SIGNED ALBUM PAGE	£24.20
	Dame Nellie Melba - Operatic Soprano - Original Hand Signed Autograph - 1926	£39.95
	Dame Nellie Melba - Operatic Soprano - Original Small Hand Signed Autograph 1914	£29.95
	Dame Nellie Melba Autograph - Australian Opera Singer	£24.00
	DAME NELLIE MELBA ORIGINAL AUTOGRAPH. OPERA	£11.50
	NELLIE MELBA (1861-1931) Australian Soprano SIGNED page	£27.00
	NELLIE MELBA - Signed - Operatic Soprano - Opera Singer - Autograph - 1908	£19.99
	Nellie Melba Australian Opera Singer 1861-1931 ,Original 10 x 8 Signature Piece	£50.30
	Nellie Melba, Australian Operatic Soprano, Unusual SIGNATURE, 1923	£104.50
	Opera - Australian Great - NELLIE MELBA †69 in 1930 signed cut album page 1919	£13.00
	Soprano Dame Nellie Melba Hand Signed Vintage French Benque Cabinet Photo Card	£255.91