The Story of a Cincinnati Superfan
Allan Branstiter never had any cards that were too valuable as a kid. What he did have was a meaningful collection of Cincinnati Reds.
Growing up overseas, Branstiter primarily had access to O-Pee-Chee cards. “Before I really knew what it meant to be American, I knew about baseball cards and the Reds,” Branstiter said. “I was born in ’83, and my first favorite baseball player was Eric Davis.”
When he was in the Army, Branstiter’s collection stayed at his parents’ house until his service was up. In 2009, he was living near the Red River, which separates Minnesota and North Dakota. When the river flooded, Branstiter was in its direct path.
“I had put my cards in the basement of the house I was living in,” Branstiter said. “I lost them all at once.” With all his cards floating in water, he looked at the situation in a positive light. It gave him a chance to refocus his collecting habits.
“The bright side is I got to start all over again and I got the cards I wanted,” he said. Branstiter sought to rekindle the memories his cards used to conjure up.
Collecting Eric the Red
The first thing Branstiter did when he reentered The Hobby a decade ago was start collecting Davis cards. He picked up cards he couldn’t afford as a kid, as well as newer short print cards.
Branstiter owns most of Davis’ base and insert cards that were released during his 17-year MLB career. “He put his body on the line for the Reds, which is one of the things that made him so fun to watch,” Branstiter said. “He would run through a wall for the team. But it was just the injuries caught up with him.
“It’s one of those things, he’ll never be in the Hall of Fame, but for the Reds fans that got to see him play, he was electric. It’s fun now that Elly is such a big deal, because they had the same number. People are drawing direct comparisons, and now people are talking about Eric Davis again. Kids are getting to know who Eric Davis is and there’s more interest in his cards.”
Branstiter has about 100 different Davis cards, including the entire runs of Topps and Tiffany. He’s still trying to pick up cards that have been released since Davis’ retirement in 2001 to present. In the last few years, Topps has used Davis in products that contain autographed cards, including Topps Archives and Tribute sets. Branstiter loves collecting the autographs since he never had the opportunity to meet Davis in person growing up.
“I’m really a big fan of the Brooklyn Collection autos, so I picked that one up the same time I got a Barry Larkin Brooklyn Collection auto,” Branstiter said. “I love those because they’re on-card autos. Same thing with the Tribute.”
No matter how much Branstiter enjoys Davis’ newer cards, he will always be enamored with the ones from his playing days. His favorite Davis of all time is the 1992 Topps Gold Winner.
“I remember pulling the base card and I just thought it was like the coolest photograph of a baseball player,” Branstiter said. “He’s wearing a throwback jersey, wearing his gold chain. He was just looking cool. I’ve loved that card ever since. I recently bought the gold foil for that one.”
Branstiter also loves Davis’ cards from 1987 Topps and 1989 Topps League Leaders. His rookie card in 1985 Topps was a hot card at the time. “Recently, I picked up the Tiffany for that, so I was really excited,” Branstiter said. “That is definitely his iconic card. That one’s fun to collect because it’s always a challenge to find one that’s like still in good condition and centered really well.”
Other Reds Cards
Branstiter’s second favorite player to collect is Reds legend Joey Votto. He has two binders full of the Reds star, who spent all 17 years of his career in Cincinnati. Branstiter’s favorite card? Of course, it’s Votto’s 1st Bowman in 2002. He’d like to pick up a rookie refractor, but the card is numbered to just 300. Votto’s 2018 Topps Throwback Thursday card is also one of Branstiter’s best.
“He’s still one of my favorite players,” Branstiter said. “I’m looking forward to him possibly going into the Hall. I’ve got hundreds and hundreds of his cards.”
With the Reds franchise dating back nearly 150 years, there are plenty of cool cards for Branstiter to collect. He likes to dabble in vintage.
“I collect a lot of players from the ’50s and ’60s and the Big Red Machine era,” Branstiter said. “My dad doesn’t collect, but he likes cards. So, I’ll pick up cards from his era. When he comes and visits, we’ll look through them together. Or I’ll find a card like the Ted Kluszewski card (1957 Topps) where he doesn’t have any sleeves and his giant, python arms are sticking out. I picked out that card and I was like, ‘Dad, check this out.’ He’s like, ‘Oh, that’s amazing. I remember when that card came out.’”
A few of Branstiter’s favorite Reds’ players and cards are Johnny Bench’s second year 1969 Topps Rookie Cup; he has that in a PSA 2. Branstiter is a big fan of pitcher Vada Pinson and is a distant relative of pitcher Harvey Haddix. He’s looking to pick up a Frank Robinson 1957 Topps rookie card soon.
Elly De la Cruz is a young player Branstiter has latched onto because he reminds him of Davis, both of whom are No. 44. Branstiter’s favorite De la Cruz card to date is the 2024 Topps Chrome Aqua RayWave Refractor, which is numbered to 199.
Over the last five years, Branstiter has been building Reds color match Red Crackle team sets from the Flagship release. For 2025, he’s collecting the Sand Glitter parallels. Branstiter’s collection encompasses a broad range from vintage to 1980s to modern cards. The variety is what makes it fun for him.
“We have some neighborhood kids that are into collecting, and I give them most of my base cards. They talk about the values and stuff and get fixated on trying to get the most expensive card. I tell them all the time, ‘There’s not just one way to collect. You just do what makes you happy.’”
