Bottler, a longtime catcher for the Portland Beavers of the Pacific Coast League in the 1950s, traveled to Japan to play for the Kintetsu Buffaloes during the 1959, 60 and 61 seasons. Midway through his Japan career, he switched to first base, and then to pitcher! This card lists him as a first baseman, according to the Japanese text on the card. The two Jintan Gum issues are the only cards ever printed of Bottler in Japan. Judging from collector wantlists over the years, cards of Buffaloes players are far scarcer in general than those of other teams, probably due to their poor performance on the field and lack of a fan base. In Bottler's three years at Kintetsu, the team was victorious in only 30% of their games. As such, this is a scarce card that is prized by collectors of foreign players in Japan and also by Jintan Gum set collectors.

Size: Approximately 3/4" x 2 3/4"

Condition: Vg to Vg/Ex. Off center left to right on the front. Surface chipping at the edges on the back.