Hey there, welcome back to the insanity... I mean hobby! Here's some of my thoughts on your comments and questions.
1. First off, even if your existing collection doesn't appear to have value in the greater marketplace, it had value to you in your younger days and is a touchstone to that time. It's one of the reasons I went off the deep end collecting 1999 Topps Finest cards, I remember riding my bike to my local shop after a garage sale day and picking up a couple packs. Some of the greatest times I ever had in this hobby!
2. I dig refractors as well, the ones you'll see the most variety come from Topps Chrome (thru 2015) and Panini Prizm. I think it's a fun choice to try and tackle rookie QBs and potentially try to make "rainbows" or one of each color refractor for the same player in a given set.
3. In terms of brand, anything new is going to come from Panini. They successfully bid for the exclusive license to print NFLPA licensed football cards which began in 2016. Prior to 2016, Topps or Panini would be the way to go until about 2009 or so, then likely Topps for the Topps Chrome refractors. Bowman is owned by Topps so it's more of a question on whether you like the design. In baseball Bowman Chrome is the definitive brand for rookies, in football it seems like Bowman was the vehicle Topps used as their first release after rookies were drafted but haven't suited up in their NFL jerseys.
4. In terms of colors, it's pretty much what you are looking for.
For example, in 2009 Topps Chrome printed 6 different types of refractors:
Refractors (1:3 hobby packs)
Xfractors (randomly inserted in retail packs, valued same as regular refractors)
Copper serial #'ed 649 (1:12 hobby packs) - fun fact, this one time I pulled the same player, in the same pack, with 1 serial number difference (IE, 348/649 and 349/649). Makes me think they print everything ahead of time, then somehow randomize into packs/boxes and those two cards just got stuck together.
Blue (randomly inserted in retail packs, valued double for Refractors)
Red Refractors #'ed 25 (1:138 hobby packs)
Superfractors #'ed to 1 (1:3454 hobby packs).
Yes in 2015 Topps Chrome unleashed a soul crushing 15 different types of refractors and made the odds harder to see, though Beckett's price guide multipliers help guide scarcity:
Refractors (3x basic)
Xfractors (4x basic)
Green (4x basic)
Blue Wave (5x basic)
Diamond (5x basic)
Pulsar (5x basic)
Purple (5x basic)
Camo #/499 (6x basic) - aka STS
Pink #/399 (6x basic) - aka BCA
Black #/299 (8x basic)
Blue #/199 (10x basic) - not to be confused with "Blue Wave"
Sepia #/99 (12x basic)
Gold #/50 (15x basic)
Red #/25 (40x basic)
Superfractor #/1 (unpriced, depending on player probably in the ballpark of 50x - 75x basic in my opinion)
2016 Panini Prizm for example has 17 different variations (called Prizms)! I found when I left and returned to the hobby I would narrow down my focus to something that wasn't all encompassing
. That means set building Topps Finest sets, player collecting Alshon Jeffery, and completing some late 90s/early 00s sets I couldn't in the pre-eBay days.
Depending on your budget, I'd recommend by maybe adding the basic refractor or prizm variation if you are looking for a larger low cost collection, or target cards under a certain serial number (say 100) and look for the closest refractor/prizm variant for a smaller but higher value collection.
Apologies for the book but open ended questions will make me wax on the philosophic at night. Again welcome back and enjoy!
1. First off, even if your existing collection doesn't appear to have value in the greater marketplace, it had value to you in your younger days and is a touchstone to that time. It's one of the reasons I went off the deep end collecting 1999 Topps Finest cards, I remember riding my bike to my local shop after a garage sale day and picking up a couple packs. Some of the greatest times I ever had in this hobby!
2. I dig refractors as well, the ones you'll see the most variety come from Topps Chrome (thru 2015) and Panini Prizm. I think it's a fun choice to try and tackle rookie QBs and potentially try to make "rainbows" or one of each color refractor for the same player in a given set.
3. In terms of brand, anything new is going to come from Panini. They successfully bid for the exclusive license to print NFLPA licensed football cards which began in 2016. Prior to 2016, Topps or Panini would be the way to go until about 2009 or so, then likely Topps for the Topps Chrome refractors. Bowman is owned by Topps so it's more of a question on whether you like the design. In baseball Bowman Chrome is the definitive brand for rookies, in football it seems like Bowman was the vehicle Topps used as their first release after rookies were drafted but haven't suited up in their NFL jerseys.
4. In terms of colors, it's pretty much what you are looking for.
For example, in 2009 Topps Chrome printed 6 different types of refractors:
Refractors (1:3 hobby packs)
Xfractors (randomly inserted in retail packs, valued same as regular refractors)
Copper serial #'ed 649 (1:12 hobby packs) - fun fact, this one time I pulled the same player, in the same pack, with 1 serial number difference (IE, 348/649 and 349/649). Makes me think they print everything ahead of time, then somehow randomize into packs/boxes and those two cards just got stuck together.
Blue (randomly inserted in retail packs, valued double for Refractors)
Red Refractors #'ed 25 (1:138 hobby packs)
Superfractors #'ed to 1 (1:3454 hobby packs).
Yes in 2015 Topps Chrome unleashed a soul crushing 15 different types of refractors and made the odds harder to see, though Beckett's price guide multipliers help guide scarcity:
Refractors (3x basic)
Xfractors (4x basic)
Green (4x basic)
Blue Wave (5x basic)
Diamond (5x basic)
Pulsar (5x basic)
Purple (5x basic)
Camo #/499 (6x basic) - aka STS
Pink #/399 (6x basic) - aka BCA
Black #/299 (8x basic)
Blue #/199 (10x basic) - not to be confused with "Blue Wave"
Sepia #/99 (12x basic)
Gold #/50 (15x basic)
Red #/25 (40x basic)
Superfractor #/1 (unpriced, depending on player probably in the ballpark of 50x - 75x basic in my opinion)
2016 Panini Prizm for example has 17 different variations (called Prizms)! I found when I left and returned to the hobby I would narrow down my focus to something that wasn't all encompassing
. That means set building Topps Finest sets, player collecting Alshon Jeffery, and completing some late 90s/early 00s sets I couldn't in the pre-eBay days.Depending on your budget, I'd recommend by maybe adding the basic refractor or prizm variation if you are looking for a larger low cost collection, or target cards under a certain serial number (say 100) and look for the closest refractor/prizm variant for a smaller but higher value collection.
Apologies for the book but open ended questions will make me wax on the philosophic at night
. Again welcome back and enjoy!