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As a A’s fan who grew up rooting for the late-80’s and early-90’s Bash Brothers teams, it was difficult to make sense of and come to terms with the 1993-1997 teams. They were bad. Jason Giambi helped pull the team out of the cellar and back to the playoffs, so he’ll always have a soft spot in my heart.
I’ve even forgiven December 2001 appearance on the Letterman Show (Have you ever been to Oakland?).
So without further adieu, I give you my Top Ten best Jason Giambi autographed baseball cards in an Athletics uniform. These are all from his playing days, as I hate post-playing day cards with a passion.
#10 – 1998 Donruss Signature – Signature Series Autographs (Millennium Marks)
This autographed card came in three parallels:
- Red (print run 3,100)
- Green – Millennium Marks (print run 1,000)
- Blue – Century Marks (print run 100)
The Millennium Marks edition gets points from me for being attainable (1,000 copies) and a color match with the Athletics’ unis.
This card has an on-card auto, as sticker autos really didn’t start to become prevalent until the early-2000’s.
On the back, this card is serial-numbered and it has a different image than the front of the card.
Shop 1998 Donruss Signature Series – Signature Series Autographs on eBay
Shop 1998 Donruss Signature Series – Signature Series Autographs (Millennium Marks) on eBay
#9 – 2001 Topps Finest – Finest Moment Autograph Refractor
The 2001 Topps Finest – Finest Moments Refractor Autographs do not have a known print run, but they were much more rare than the “base” Autographs that season (Base were 1:22 hobby packs while the Moments Refractor Autos were 1:250).
The image here shows more of the (steroid) girth Jason gained as his career progressed. The on-card auto has a nice signing area and there is a unique image and 2000 season description on the back of the card.
You could even say that the greenish hue of this card makes it a color match (all Finest Moment Refractor Autos used this green color in 2001).
Shop 2001 Topps Finest – Finest Moment Refractor Autographs on eBay
#8 – 2001 Upper Deck SP Authentic – Chirography
This card gets points for a super-clean layout and a large signable area.
The back has a unique image, but also has the signature boring authentication text that Upper Deck was known for.
This card doesn’t have a known print run, but there have been a number of recent sales (as of Feb. 2025) which likely indicates a decent amount of copies:
Shop 2001 UD SP Authentic – Chirography on eBay
#7 – 1996 Leaf Signature Series –Bronze
The 1996 Leaf Signature Series is one of, if not the most, icon sets for autographs. This set had three parallels (print runs below are unique to Giambi):
- Bronze (print run 3,500)
- Silver (print run 1,000)
- Gold (print run 500)
This card features a good action shot of Giambi hustling. Out of the copies I’ve seen, Giambi seemed to frequently sign above and below the metallic-looking seal.
This card could be viewed as a rookie card, as rookie cards were not quite cut-and-dry in the mid-90’s. Giambi was a big prospect, so he had a number of USA and minor league cards. 1996 seemed to be the first year he consistently showed up in major league sets.
This card is quite available and changes hands (as of Feb. 2025) for $5-11:
Shop 1996 Leaf Signature Series Bronze Autographs on eBay
Shop 1996 Leaf Signature Series Silver Autographs on eBay
Shop 1996 Leaf Signature Series Gold Autographs on eBay
#6 – 2000 Skybox – Autographics
I’ve always been a big fan of Skybox Autographics cards, which could be found in a number of Fleer products in 2000. This card is notable for the embossed “Skybox Authenticity Stamp” that was placed over the signatures.
This card has a well-composed picture, a decent-sized signable area, and, of course, an on-card auto. The back is about as bad as it gets, though.
There is a rare “Purple Foil” parallel to this auto that is hand-numbered to 50 copies:
Shop 2000 Skybox Autographics on eBay
Shop 2000 Skybox Autographics (Purple Foil) on eBay
#5 – 2005 Donruss Recollections Collection (2001 Donruss)
Donruss had a long-running “Recollections” series where it would buy back older cards, get them signed, and then insert them into packs of the current year’s product. They tended to have pretty thin print runs.
This 2001 Donruss autographed card (inserted into 2005 packs) is serial-numbered to only 25 copies. It features Giambi in a throwback uniform.
While the signable area isn’t great, this card gets points for rarity and having an interesting back with a full set of stats.
#4 – 2001 Upper Deck Evolution (e-Card Game-Used Jersey/Bat Autograph Exchange)
This card has it all – bat relic, jersey relic, and an on-card autograph. It’s also horizontal, which some people hate and I just merely don’t prefer.
Still, it has a nice signable space and the back at least has a portrait to liven up the boring authenticity statement.
#3 – 1996 Leaf Signature Series – Extended Series Autographs
Here’s another auto card from 1996, potentially viewable as a rookie card. The “Extended Series” was released in January of 1997, so the card references his full-year 1996 stats.
It had a large 5,000 print run, though it is also available in a “Century Marks” parallel (PR100) if you want to chase that.
It’s got a big signable area, a unique image on the back.
A copy recently sold for $10 on eBay:
Shop 1996 Leaf Signature Series – Extended Series Autographs on eBay
#2 – 2000 SP Authentic – Buybacks Autographs (1997 SP)
Donruss wasn’t the only card company buying back cards from previous sets, autographing them, and releasing them in new sets. SP Authentic from Upper Deck had some great chase cards from this era.
This card is from the 1997 set and was released in 2001. It is hand-numbered to 34 and features an on-card autograph. The back has an authenticity stamp to go along with the standard 1997 SP back.
#1 – 2001 Upper Deck – Sign Game-Used Balls Gold
If you can’t deduce it, I’m a sucker for game-used balls. Though I do wonder if they make sure the player actually touched the ball that they used for the card. Being a first baseman, Giambi had a better than average chance of touching the ball used for this card.
This card is serial-numbered by hand and to only 25, making it a difficult chase.
The auto doesn’t appear to be very visible on the red background, but it doesn’t completely disappear.
The back is par-for-the-course boring for Upper Deck.
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