[VintageCollector]

Hey guys, looking to hop back into the hobby for a bit. Been out a couple years. Looking to buy two hobby boxes of football and two hobby boxes of baseball. What year/product is best bang for your buck? Thanks in advance for any advice!

[savagenate]

2011 or 2012 would be my guess. 2013 and 2014 are cheaper, but fewer players that hit it big so far. Just my 2 cents. Show us what you get!

[spazmatastic]

Info on what you are looking for really depends on the money you can/are willing to spend and what you are looking for in return.
For NFL hobby boxes, I would suggest 2004, 2006, 2008, and 2011. Of course the new stuff is enticing, but you better get rid of the rookie stuff fast or you may get stuck with it. For the older stuff I mentioned, I would go with mid-high end products. Anything older than 2010: Finest, SPx, SP Authentic, Leaf Certified Materials, Playoff Contenders, and of course, Topps Chrome/Bowman Chrome would be good choices.
Anything since then: I can't really give you a good option b/c most of the stuff is the same thing over and over. Choices are crappy Panini or crappy Topps with high possibilities of redemption cards in both brands.

In MLB cards, go back in time! You probably want something made in the 1997 to 2005 era. You will still want to look for many of the same brands I listed for NFL cards. The main additions there would be Donruss/Leaf products, Fleer Ultra, Stadium Club, Pinnacle. Early releases of Topps Finest and Bowman's Best (1994 & up) have some high-value inserts, but you'll end up with a bunch of base cards. They are still fun breaks though.

In any sport, I personally lean towards Topps Finest and UD SPx. If you go back to the mid-1990's, you almost can't go wrong with hobby boxes of either. If you want to go with newer stuff, Topps products are your ONLY choice post-2010 in MLB and Panini is the better option in NFL for the same time period.