BEST THROWBACK SET

WINNER: DONRUSS RETRO ’90 AND ’00

We are grouping Donruss Retro ’90 and ’00 as the winner here because, well, we can, and because they essentially are the same thing celebrating two anniversary designs in the brand’s history. The 1990 design of course goes back to baseball since Donruss didn’t debut in football until the mid-1990s, but is a nostalgia trip for collectors who have been in the hobby for decades. The ’00 set includes a Tom Brady Buccaneers card. Each set has 40 cards.

CLOSE SECOND: ELITE ’00 ELITE

Another nod to the year 2000, this retro insert in Elite uses the brand’s second-year design. The top card in the set is by far the Tom Brady at up to $40. It’s a cool link, too, since 2000 is Brady’s rookie year. There’s also a 50-card Rookies insert, and both veterans and rookies have an Aspirations die-cut numbered to 100 minus the player’s jersey number.