1971 Topps #681 Bill Butler
About Bill Butler
Bill Butler made 25 starts for Kansas City in 1970 and went 4-12. His ERA was 3.77, and he struck out 75 in 140 2/3 innings. A year earlier he had struck out 156. Card #681 is in the sixth series and shows the left-hander with the Royals.
Bill Butler was a left-handed pitcher who broke into the majors with the Kansas City Royals on April 9, 1969, the expansion franchise's inaugural season. He started 29 of 34 games as a rookie and went 9-10 with a 3.90 ERA. Over 193 2/3 innings he had five complete games and four shutouts. He pitched for the Royals through 1971, then moved to the Cleveland Indians in 1972. He returned to the majors with the Minnesota Twins in 1974 and 1975 and again in 1977, working as both a starter and a reliever. Over parts of seven big-league seasons he went 23-35 with a 4.21 ERA, making 86 starts in 134 games. He struck out 408 batters in 591 2/3 innings, with ten complete games.
Sources: Wikipedia · Baseball-Reference · BaseballCardPedia
Graded population (PSA & SGC)
| Grader | Total | 10 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 1-4 | Auth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PSA | 408 | 0 | 15 | 162 | 168 | 42 | 12 | 9 | 0 |
| SGC | 16 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 8 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 0 |
Graded population — a scarcity guide, not a price. Data as of 2026-10-19. Half grades fold down for both graders (8.5→8); PSA qualified slabs (OC, ST, PD, MC and the like) are not counted.
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Related cards
Team card: #742 Kansas City Royals
More Kansas City Royals cards:
- #17 Billy Sorrell
- #35 Lou Piniella
- #71 1970 American League Strikeout Leaders
- #91 Bob Lemon
- #103 Rich Severson
- #118 Cookie Rojas
- #129 Aurelio Monteagudo
- #144 Jackie Hernandez
- #163 Buck Martinez
- #187 Ted Abernathy
- #221 Dave Morehead
- #247 Royals 1971 Rookie Stars
- #269 Gail Hopkins
- #299 Ed Kirkpatrick
Frequently asked questions
What is the 1971 Topps #681 card?
It is card #681 of the 752-card 1971 Topps Baseball set, picturing Bill Butler of the Kansas City Royals.
Why is #681 harder to find?
It is a high number card from the sixth and last print series, #644-752 - the scarce end of the set. Some of its cards were printed in larger numbers than others, so scarcity varies card by card inside the run.
How many cards are in the 1971 Topps Baseball set?
752 cards, tracked as 761 collectible states. Numbers run from 1 to 752 with none skipped, issued in six print series (132/131/130/130/120/109 cards), the sixth (#644-752) the high numbers; seven cards carry catalogued print variations that the master set counts separately - the #42, #265 and #306 photo pairs and the #123, #206, #369 and #619 checklists, #369 and #619 in three printings each.
Sources: Trading Card Database, PSA (its price guide, master set registry and set article), BaseballCardPedia, Cardboard Connection, Baseball Almanac, Baseball-Reference, the SABR BioProject and the National Baseball Hall of Fame, PSA & SGC population reports. Card data compiled and maintained by T206Cards.com. Page last updated 2026-10-25.