Recommendations for fun hobby box breaks

[tll_55]

I'm looking for recommendations for fun hobby box breaks.

I used to be an active collector years ago (the 2004-2010 range) but now mainly I just buy one box a year and open it over the course of several days/weeks. I'm not really looking for "hits"—if I pull anything worth more than $20 I'll likely sell it—rather a box where each pack can be satisfying on its own. Recently I've done 1991 Stadium Club (the photos) and 2002 Topps Series 2 (because I wanted a Joe Mauer rookie card).

So, I'm looking for something along those lines: fun/good photos, interesting backs, good mix of players, etc. I'm open to all years (that I can find on ebay, at least) and brands, just looking for the most enjoyable one-box break I can get for less than $150 (ideally less than $100). Any suggestions?

Is recent Stadium Club (2018 or 2019) any good?

 

[gt2590]

I LOVE the recent Stadium Club sets.

And base Donruss is a very fun break, especially since '18. But be warned it's only licensed by the Players Association, so no logos or team names on the cards...

 

[bstanwood]

Agreed, new stadium club photos are top notch, the design doesn't distract from the actual photo. In addition to base donruss I like the Diamond King's sets. I think 03 or 04 was my favorite, it was licensed then, even though it's not now I still like the designs. When I think of fun breaks I think of mid to late 90s inserts. I'm thinking pinnacle, upper deck and Fleer. Score had some cool inserts designs in the mid 90s too

 

[smapdi]

I concur on Stadium Club. Though they seem to be going more to autos and chrome as drivers of value. And prices on 2020 boxes are rising like everything else this year.

Opening Day and Big League offer the best fun rip/dollar ratio, IMHO. OD mirrors the base Topps for the year but with different parallel colors and fun inserts. Plus the chance to pull some really super rare SSPs that are shockingly valuable. Big League has a nice design and the inserts haven't quite caught on yet but I think they'll eventually be "discovered." Plus, this year you have the action figures.

 

[swish54_99]

2020 Prizm Quick Pitch is full of inserts and subsets if you like that kind of stuff. I've not opened any, but watch youtube videos and it's about a hit per pack.