Presented is a fantastic collection of five professional basketball items from the 1940s and 1950s. The highlight of this collection is a 1950 NBA Boston Celtics contract for Charles “Chuck” Share. In the very first NBA draft that took place the same year, the Celtics chose Share over Bob Cousy with the top pick in the first round. This unsigned contract has been edited with a green pen and pencil. The only significant flaw on this piece is a creased right corner, and the paper contains envelope-fold creases. For black players unable to crack the color barrier in the late 1940s and 1950s, pursuing one’s profession required playing on barnstorming tours for relatively little pay. This lot contains (3) advertisement posters for these “colored” exhibitions and includes a Philadelphia Colored Stars poster with blank fields (11x14), 1948 New York Rens vs. Chicago Shamrocks (13-1/2 x 18-3/4) and a 1954 Johnny Lattner All-Stars vs. Chicago Colored Collegians (11x17). The Philadelphia poster shows significant wear on the edges and sides, and the Johnny Lattner advertisement contains a crease in the upper right corner and some moderate staining around the edges. The New York Rens piece is in fantastic condition and shows some slight toning around the edges. Also included is an 8x10 color photograph of Zach Clayton (Harlem Rens), one of the first black players to integrate the CBA in 1946. This photo is in solid condition but shows slight wear on the corners and smudging on the left and bottom edges.