diff --git a/pub_key.go b/pub_key.go
index 54d1173eb..0c7f4663e 100644
--- a/pub_key.go
+++ b/pub_key.go
@@ -83,6 +83,11 @@ func (pubKey PubKeyEd25519) Bytes() []byte {
 }
 
 func (pubKey PubKeyEd25519) VerifyBytes(msg []byte, sig_ Signature) bool {
+	// unwrap if needed
+	if wrap, ok := sig_.(SignatureS); ok {
+		sig_ = wrap.Signature
+	}
+	// make sure we use the same algorithm to sign
 	sig, ok := sig_.(SignatureEd25519)
 	if !ok {
 		return false
@@ -155,14 +160,20 @@ func (pubKey PubKeySecp256k1) Bytes() []byte {
 }
 
 func (pubKey PubKeySecp256k1) VerifyBytes(msg []byte, sig_ Signature) bool {
-	pub__, err := secp256k1.ParsePubKey(append([]byte{0x04}, pubKey[:]...), secp256k1.S256())
-	if err != nil {
-		return false
+	// unwrap if needed
+	if wrap, ok := sig_.(SignatureS); ok {
+		sig_ = wrap.Signature
 	}
+	// and assert same algorithm to sign and verify
 	sig, ok := sig_.(SignatureSecp256k1)
 	if !ok {
 		return false
 	}
+
+	pub__, err := secp256k1.ParsePubKey(append([]byte{0x04}, pubKey[:]...), secp256k1.S256())
+	if err != nil {
+		return false
+	}
 	sig__, err := secp256k1.ParseDERSignature(sig[:], secp256k1.S256())
 	if err != nil {
 		return false
diff --git a/signature.go b/signature.go
index 3960088bd..fcef20a43 100644
--- a/signature.go
+++ b/signature.go
@@ -91,7 +91,7 @@ func (p *SignatureEd25519) UnmarshalJSON(enc []byte) error {
 //-------------------------------------
 
 // Implements Signature
-type SignatureSecp256k1 data.Bytes
+type SignatureSecp256k1 []byte
 
 func (sig SignatureSecp256k1) Bytes() []byte {
 	return wire.BinaryBytes(struct{ Signature }{sig})
@@ -108,3 +108,10 @@ func (sig SignatureSecp256k1) Equals(other Signature) bool {
 		return false
 	}
 }
+func (p SignatureSecp256k1) MarshalJSON() ([]byte, error) {
+	return data.Encoder.Marshal(p)
+}
+
+func (p *SignatureSecp256k1) UnmarshalJSON(enc []byte) error {
+	return data.Encoder.Unmarshal((*[]byte)(p), enc)
+}
diff --git a/signature_test.go b/signature_test.go
index 88c490f39..ac631eac5 100644
--- a/signature_test.go
+++ b/signature_test.go
@@ -1,11 +1,14 @@
 package crypto
 
 import (
-	"bytes"
+	"fmt"
+	"strings"
 	"testing"
 
+	"github.com/stretchr/testify/assert"
+	"github.com/stretchr/testify/require"
 	"github.com/tendermint/ed25519"
-	"github.com/tendermint/go-wire"
+	data "github.com/tendermint/go-data"
 )
 
 func TestSignAndValidateEd25519(t *testing.T) {
@@ -56,68 +59,60 @@ func TestSignAndValidateSecp256k1(t *testing.T) {
 	}
 }
 
-func TestBinaryDecodeEd25519(t *testing.T) {
-
-	privKey := GenPrivKeyEd25519()
-	pubKey := privKey.PubKey()
-
-	msg := CRandBytes(128)
-	sig := privKey.Sign(msg)
-	t.Logf("msg: %X, sig: %X", msg, sig)
-
-	buf, n, err := new(bytes.Buffer), new(int), new(error)
-	wire.WriteBinary(struct{ Signature }{sig}, buf, n, err)
-	if *err != nil {
-		t.Fatalf("Failed to write Signature: %v", err)
-	}
-
-	if len(buf.Bytes()) != ed25519.SignatureSize+1 {
-		// 1 byte TypeByte, 64 bytes signature bytes
-		t.Fatalf("Unexpected signature write size: %v", len(buf.Bytes()))
-	}
-	if buf.Bytes()[0] != SignatureTypeEd25519 {
-		t.Fatalf("Unexpected signature type byte")
-	}
-
-	sigStruct := struct{ Signature }{}
-	sig2 := wire.ReadBinary(sigStruct, buf, 0, n, err)
-	if *err != nil {
-		t.Fatalf("Failed to read Signature: %v", err)
-	}
-
-	// Test the signature
-	if !pubKey.VerifyBytes(msg, sig2.(struct{ Signature }).Signature.(SignatureEd25519)) {
-		t.Errorf("Account message signature verification failed")
+func TestSignatureEncodings(t *testing.T) {
+	cases := []struct {
+		privKey PrivKeyS
+		sigSize int
+		sigType byte
+		sigName string
+	}{
+		{
+			privKey: PrivKeyS{GenPrivKeyEd25519()},
+			sigSize: ed25519.SignatureSize,
+			sigType: SignatureTypeEd25519,
+			sigName: SignatureNameEd25519,
+		},
+		{
+			privKey: PrivKeyS{GenPrivKeySecp256k1()},
+			sigSize: 0, // unknown
+			sigType: SignatureTypeSecp256k1,
+			sigName: SignatureNameSecp256k1,
+		},
 	}
-}
-
-func TestBinaryDecodeSecp256k1(t *testing.T) {
-
-	privKey := GenPrivKeySecp256k1()
-	pubKey := privKey.PubKey()
-
-	msg := CRandBytes(128)
-	sig := privKey.Sign(msg)
-	t.Logf("msg: %X, sig: %X", msg, sig)
 
-	buf, n, err := new(bytes.Buffer), new(int), new(error)
-	wire.WriteBinary(struct{ Signature }{sig}, buf, n, err)
-	if *err != nil {
-		t.Fatalf("Failed to write Signature: %v", err)
-	}
-
-	if buf.Bytes()[0] != SignatureTypeSecp256k1 {
-		t.Fatalf("Unexpected signature type byte")
-	}
-
-	sigStruct := struct{ Signature }{}
-	sig2 := wire.ReadBinary(sigStruct, buf, 0, n, err)
-	if *err != nil {
-		t.Fatalf("Failed to read Signature: %v", err)
-	}
-
-	// Test the signature
-	if !pubKey.VerifyBytes(msg, sig2.(struct{ Signature }).Signature.(SignatureSecp256k1)) {
-		t.Errorf("Account message signature verification failed")
+	for _, tc := range cases {
+		// note we embed them from the beginning....
+		pubKey := PubKeyS{tc.privKey.PubKey()}
+
+		msg := CRandBytes(128)
+		sig := SignatureS{tc.privKey.Sign(msg)}
+
+		// store as wire
+		bin, err := data.ToWire(sig)
+		require.Nil(t, err, "%+v", err)
+		if tc.sigSize != 0 {
+			assert.Equal(t, tc.sigSize+1, len(bin))
+		}
+		assert.Equal(t, tc.sigType, bin[0])
+
+		// and back
+		sig2 := SignatureS{}
+		err = data.FromWire(bin, &sig2)
+		require.Nil(t, err, "%+v", err)
+		assert.EqualValues(t, sig, sig2)
+		assert.True(t, pubKey.VerifyBytes(msg, sig2))
+
+		// store as json
+		js, err := data.ToJSON(sig)
+		require.Nil(t, err, "%+v", err)
+		assert.True(t, strings.Contains(string(js), tc.sigName))
+		fmt.Println(string(js))
+
+		// and back
+		sig3 := SignatureS{}
+		err = data.FromJSON(js, &sig3)
+		require.Nil(t, err, "%+v", err)
+		assert.EqualValues(t, sig, sig3)
+		assert.True(t, pubKey.VerifyBytes(msg, sig3))
 	}
 }