diff --git a/web3.js/src/transaction.js b/web3.js/src/transaction.js
index e18ce65a9b..4c2124bf75 100644
--- a/web3.js/src/transaction.js
+++ b/web3.js/src/transaction.js
@@ -400,7 +400,7 @@ export class Transaction {
    */
   serialize(): Buffer {
     const {signatures} = this;
-    if (!signatures) {
+    if (!signatures || signatures.length === 0 || !this.verifySignatures()) {
       throw new Error('Transaction has not been signed');
     }
 
diff --git a/web3.js/test/transaction.test.js b/web3.js/test/transaction.test.js
index 630b07296a..30c3815b23 100644
--- a/web3.js/test/transaction.test.js
+++ b/web3.js/test/transaction.test.js
@@ -212,231 +212,31 @@ test('serialize unsigned transaction', () => {
   });
   const expectedTransaction = new Transaction({recentBlockhash}).add(transfer);
 
-  const wireTransactionArray = [
-    1,
-    0,
-    0,
-    0,
-    0,
-    0,
-    0,
-    0,
-    0,
-    0,
-    0,
-    0,
-    0,
-    0,
-    0,
-    0,
-    0,
-    0,
-    0,
-    0,
-    0,
-    0,
-    0,
-    0,
-    0,
-    0,
-    0,
-    0,
-    0,
-    0,
-    0,
-    0,
-    0,
-    0,
-    0,
-    0,
-    0,
-    0,
-    0,
-    0,
-    0,
-    0,
-    0,
-    0,
-    0,
-    0,
-    0,
-    0,
-    0,
-    0,
-    0,
-    0,
-    0,
-    0,
-    0,
-    0,
-    0,
-    0,
-    0,
-    0,
-    0,
-    0,
-    0,
-    0,
-    0,
-    1,
-    0,
-    1,
-    3,
-    19,
-    152,
-    246,
-    44,
-    109,
-    26,
-    69,
-    124,
-    81,
-    186,
-    106,
-    75,
-    95,
-    61,
-    189,
-    47,
-    105,
-    252,
-    169,
-    50,
-    22,
-    33,
-    141,
-    200,
-    153,
-    126,
-    65,
-    107,
-    209,
-    125,
-    147,
-    202,
-    253,
-    67,
-    159,
-    204,
-    182,
-    103,
-    39,
-    242,
-    137,
-    197,
-    198,
-    222,
-    59,
-    196,
-    168,
-    254,
-    93,
-    213,
-    215,
-    119,
-    112,
-    188,
-    143,
-    241,
-    92,
-    62,
-    238,
-    220,
-    177,
-    74,
-    243,
-    252,
-    0,
-    0,
-    0,
-    0,
-    0,
-    0,
-    0,
-    0,
-    0,
-    0,
-    0,
-    0,
-    0,
-    0,
-    0,
-    0,
-    0,
-    0,
-    0,
-    0,
-    0,
-    0,
-    0,
-    0,
-    0,
-    0,
-    0,
-    0,
-    0,
-    0,
-    0,
-    0,
-    196,
-    154,
-    231,
-    118,
-    3,
-    120,
-    32,
-    84,
-    241,
-    122,
-    157,
-    236,
-    234,
-    67,
-    180,
-    68,
-    235,
-    160,
-    237,
-    177,
-    44,
-    111,
-    29,
-    49,
-    198,
-    224,
-    228,
-    168,
-    75,
-    240,
-    82,
-    235,
-    1,
-    2,
-    2,
-    0,
-    1,
-    12,
-    2,
-    0,
-    0,
-    0,
-    49,
-    0,
-    0,
-    0,
-    0,
-    0,
-    0,
-    0,
-  ];
-
-  const wireTransaction = Buffer.from(wireTransactionArray);
-  expect(wireTransaction).toEqual(expectedTransaction.serialize());
-  expect(Transaction.from(wireTransaction)).toEqual(expectedTransaction);
-  expect(Transaction.from(wireTransactionArray)).toEqual(expectedTransaction);
-  expect(Transaction.from(Uint8Array.from(wireTransactionArray))).toEqual(
-    expectedTransaction,
+  // Empty signature array fails.
+  expect(expectedTransaction.signatures.length).toBe(0);
+  expect(() => {
+    expectedTransaction.serialize();
+  }).toThrow(Error);
+  expect(expectedTransaction.signatures.length).toBe(0);
+  // Signature array populated with null signatures fails.
+  expectedTransaction.serializeMessage();
+  expect(expectedTransaction.signatures.length).toBe(1);
+  expect(() => {
+    expectedTransaction.serialize();
+  }).toThrow(Error);
+  expect(expectedTransaction.signatures.length).toBe(1);
+  // Properly signed transaction succeeds
+  expectedTransaction.sign(sender);
+  expect(expectedTransaction.signatures.length).toBe(1);
+  const expectedSerialization = Buffer.from(
+    'AVuErQHaXv0SG0/PchunfxHKt8wMRfMZzqV0tkC5qO6owYxWU2v871AoWywGoFQr4z+q/7mE8lIufNl/' +
+      'kxj+nQ0BAAEDE5j2LG0aRXxRumpLXz29L2n8qTIWIY3ImX5Ba9F9k8r9Q5/Mtmcn8onFxt47xKj+XdXX' +
+      'd3C8j/FcPu7csUrz/AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAxJrndgN4IFTxep3s6kO0' +
+      'ROug7bEsbx0xxuDkqEvwUusBAgIAAQwCAAAAMQAAAAAAAAA=',
+    'base64',
   );
+  expect(expectedTransaction.serialize()).toStrictEqual(expectedSerialization);
+  expect(expectedTransaction.signatures.length).toBe(1);
 });
 
 test('get sign data for transaction', () => {