For a brief period, the American Basketball Association (or ABA) gave the more-established NBA a run for its money. The upstart league flamed out before its 10 birthday, but what a ride! The ABA boasts such prominent alumnus as Dr. J, Rick Berry, Artis Gilmore, George Gervin, Connie Hawkins, Larry Brown, Moses Malone, Hubie Brown, David Thompson and so many others. The influence of the ABA still shows today with absorbed teams like the Pacers, Nuggets, Spurs and Nets still competing.
The funky ball league is honored in this 30-plus-photo offering. Here, you'll find classic vintage images of Commissioner George Mikan as well as players from the Virginia Squires, Washington Caps, Denver Rockets, Utah Stars, Pittsburgh Condors, Carolina Cougars, Louisiana Buccaneers, Kentucky Colonels, Spirits of St. Louis, San Diego Conquistadors and Miami Floridians. League staples Ron Boone and Doug Moe (among others) make cameos in this assemblage of rare photography marking a storied period of professional basketball.
Most photos are 8" x 10" in size and NM condition. Affixed cutlines, written notations and photographer stamps appear on the reverse side of most photos. (01326)
This image originated directly from the archives of "The Sporting News" and was intended for use in its pages. Designated as a Generation 1 photo, this image was developed directly from the original photographers negative within approximately one to five years of the depicted person/event. In some instances, usually when a date stamp is present, the photograph was developed within a year or even days of the listed event. Photographers included in the collection include Charles Conlon, George Burke, George Brace, William C. Greene, Alex P. Silverberg, and George Dorrill. Some are identified; many are not but were provided by these world class photographers. Unlike standard wire photos, these images were often hand developed by the photographer sent to the Sporting News magazine. Therefore, the result is an actual first generation photographers print -again, not be confused with the more commonly found wire photo image. First major collection to enter the market of exclusive Generation 1 Photos.
News service photos are also included, and in those instances, are identified as such by their respective stampings. Acme Wire Photo, Associated Press, International News, and United Press have provided images to the archives. Reverse images are included for identification purposes. As part of the production process for the newspaper, images may show production notes, photographer's stamps, date codes, and other markings associated with the production of the Sporting News newspaper. In all cases, each selected image is of superior quality, subject matter, clarity, contrast and condition. Each image was archived by the Sporting News and includes the official Sporting News hologram, assuring its origin and provenance. Additional MEARS LOA included with each lot.
(MEARS Auction LOA~SB)