[Brutalfly]

I have roughly been collecting cards on and off for around 30 years. I remember buying the 89, 90 Pro Set and Fleer and loved it. I still have a lot of my collection from when I was a kid. I know these cards aren't worth much but it was childhood. I have had to take breaks from collecting on and off over the years. A few months ago I got out my cards and was going through them and my kids came up to me wondering what I was doing. So I explained all of it to them and low and behold they wanted to start collecting. So they each have a binder with pages and some of my old cards of their favorite teams. I explain tho them who some of the players are and it is like going down memory lane with my cousin. 
My question is what are some cheaper brands to buy these days or where do you recommend buying cards because I want to feed the interest while not breaking the bank but also getting them cards of people they know and like. I have spent a $1 or so on single cards of players they like.
Just thought I would ask because it feels like the card collecting hobby has changed a lot.
Thanks for your answers and help.

[collectorsnet]

If you have cards shows (when the bogeyman virus is over) that would be the first place, since I brought my grandkids to one last year and they loved it. Dealers gave them free cards, and they got to see alot of cards.
Next up is a local card shop. Then, its off to Target or Walmart. They used to have re-packaged packs in small boxes for about $15 that guaranteed a GU or auto. Those usually weren't too good, but I've pulled some good stuff out of the packs. There's an occasional 1990s pack, but usually its 2012 and newer. I think the company is Fairfield or something like that. Hobby boxes of Score are about $90 and that's close to the cheapest. The retail boxes are $20 and usually you can tell what the pack is that has the jersey card. So I split the packs with the 2 grandkids and whoever gets the lowest base card # gets the jersey pack.

[savagenate]

Score brand are usually the cheapest of the official releases I think, provide quite a bit of color and inserts of they want to chase rainbows, and singles usually aren't too expensive, except for the high end rookies. Another way would be to look for card lots on eBay. From time to time I put all my inserts and base cards from various sports in a small, flat rate shipper, and sell if for a few buck plus shipping. Not trying to plug my own sale, I just think for kids starting out, it's not a bad idea. Most cards are from the new era, so they'd be noticable, they'd get to sort through a few hundred or thousand cards, and maybe get the odd hit people throw in to help raise the value of the box. Granted, it's not as much fun opening a box instead of packs, but it might be the cheapest way to go. Best of luck, bring em up right! This is a hobby first, business second (or should be!)!

[ZSDOne]

Buying single cards is the best way to go - especially now that the price of hobby boxes have reached ludicrous levels and retail boxes have practically become impossible to find unless you get lucky. The days when you could go into a retail store and find a good selection of retail boxes - including discounted boxes from past years - are over.

Score hobby boxes are now going for around $300 - yes, you could get them for around $100 ($120 at release) last year, but that is no longer the case. Maybe the price will settle down, but Legacy - which is also designed to be a $100 product - is going for $250. I expect that the prices will fall - and that the resell market for retail football (and thus the clearing of shelves by people looking to flip a $20 for $50) will cool down once people realize that paying $300 for a designed $100 box of cards that if you are lucky contains $50 worth of "hits" plus base cards (generally worth little other than for the fun of building sets and getting cards from your favorite team).

Last year to give an illustration of the problems of buying boxes, I bought several individual cards from an LCS - I could get 10 autograph or auto-patch cards for the price of one hobby box that would give you two autograph cards - and I got the cards of the players I wanted - or from the sets that I liked.

The $5 75 mixed card packs will also provide some fun for the kids - they aren't going to provide much value, but they will allow the fun of seeing several different designs - and once the current card bubble bursts, you should be able to start buying boxes again for a decent price.

Pretty much unless you get lucky and arrive at the retail store almost immediately after the cards go on the shelves - or have the rare retail store with a good card section that is kept well stock (I've seen exactly one - although I haven't been there since the current Zion Williamson driven insanity wore off) that is your best way to get football cards - buying single cards or the $5 retail boxes is going to be your only somewhat cheap option.

One note is that if you are looking for something not too expensive with guaranteed hits, look at Sage Hit football - the hobby boxes often can be had for under $100 (wait until more products are out and even the 2020 should be under $100 by the time the NFL cards are out) and you get a ton of autos -

[jplarson]

All good opinions above. Along with Score I'd say Donruss is another solid one. Do know that if you care about this kind of thing, they are owned by Panini. Every licensed NFL card has Panini as the manufacturer.

[Brutalfly]

Thank you for everybody's input I appreciate it. Lately I've been buying packs of older cards for a quarter a piece at a local antique store. All of the cards are from the early 90s which they enjoy getting them. I did tell him the next time I went they can come with me and look at the cards that they have there because they've got some of the players there that my kids enjoy watching play. We do have two card shops around us so I told them when they open up after all of this stuff going on with the virus and stuff that we could go there and look. They seem very interested. They asked me if they would be able to afford certain cards from certain players and I told them we would just have to see.
Again I appreciate everybody's input and thoughts that you shared.

[ZSDOne]

Panini has Score Football hobby at $179.99 - not as bad as some sites were charging (maybe were $200+ to be and maybe an indication that the prices will start lowering some

It is still way expensive for a product where you could get hobby boxes for around $100 last year.

Edit - and its already out of stock after 6 minutes - fortunately, i was able to get a box from my LCS.

[maizenblue73175]

who do your kids collect?

[Brutalfly]

who do your kids collect?

They each have a couple teams. We live around Kansas City so they have been raised Chiefs since birth then one of them picked the Dolphins and another picked the Patriots because of grandparents. So we always have interesting football conversations. About who the best players are. They have really been getting into it the past couple of years.