Paul Tinchant aka Richard Graham?

[paul1888]

Hello,

I added a coin into my collection earlier this year that was  part of the Richard Graham Collection, in the Schulman Sale, June, 1966.  The coin was lot #1896 and was one of the coins displayed in the catalog plates.  In the introduction they gave very little information about Richard Graham, but doing a little research it appears that he may actually be Paul Tinchant, a dealer in Brussels.  Does any one know if I am correct.  I am sure there a few who may have known him. Apparently he retired in 1964, only a couple of years before this sale.  I purchased this coin in part because it sold only a couple of weeks before my brother and I were born.

Finally, if anyone has seen this coin in any other old auctions please let me know.

Thanks,

Paul



Paul Tinchant (1893-1981) Coin dealer 1930's - 1964, Brussels

[curtislclay]

Yes, that was Paul Tinchant's collection. I heard at the time that Tinchant chose that pseudonym because "Graham" was the name used by the London auctioneer Glendining's under which to execute book bids, the bids which dealers and collectors had entrusted to Glendining's to execute.

[paul1888]

Thanks Curtis!!!  The auction catalog is quite nice.  The coins in his collection were beautiful.  It took me quite a while to track down a copy of the catalog but it was worth it.

Thanks again, I really appreciate your help,

Paul

[helvetica]

Only ten years since the original post, but for those interested in the Schulman catalog mentioned, the BnF Paris now has it online in high resolution:
https://gallica.bnf.fr/ark:/12148/bpt6k3043427n.r=TinchantCollectionGraham%20Collection%20Graham?rk=21459;2#

[Curtis JJ]

Many thanks, hevetica! I hadn't seen it yet, so I've immediately copied the link in appropriate places!
I attached photos my hard copy catalog: Interesting partly for having loose plates in a pocket, rather than bound in. (Not exactly to my liking, though.) I'll be much more inclined to use the digital for most purposes.

I did, however, have the link and annotations on a previous (smaller, less important) offering from the Paul Tinchant Collection. Also on Gallica (below).

What's bizarre is that the previous sale does name him as Paul Tinchant -- no "Richard J. Graham" pseudonym! And, in the foreword to the second sale, L. Forrer Jr. wrote:  “The figure of Richard J. Graham is mysterious and will ever remain so.” (Was that a joke? Or did he really not think it would come out? What was the point?)



My updated annotations for the two sales, respectively, adding in the new BnF-Gallica URL:

J. Schulman Auction 239 (5-9 April 1965). "Coins and Medals, the Property of Paul Tinchant, Brussels ... J.v.d. Meer ... G. H. Crone ... M. Gerzon."
Spring 705; Clain-Stefanelli --; Online https://gallica.bnf.fr/ark:/12148/bpt6k3043387k

~1,045 lots ancient (884-1928, incl. many groups interspersed), also medieval, modern, mostly Greek (884-1556, 1879-part, incl. unique Euhesperides AV Stater w/ interesting discussion excerpt), RRC (1557-1558 [AV]; 1589-1667 [AR]; 1877 [AE]), RIC (1559-1588, 1880-1893 [AV]; 1668-1792, 1878, 1879-part [AR]; 1793-1876, 1879-part [AE]), Byzantine (1891, 1894-1928 [some overlap w/ late Roman]).

J. Schulman Auction 245 (8-10 June 1966). "The Richard J. Graham [Paul Tinchant] Collection of Ancient Greek, Roman, and Byzantine, Including a Splendid Series of Roman Bronze Medallions."
Spring 706; Clain-Stefanelli 3668, 4978 (medallions); Online https://gallica.bnf.fr/ark:/12148/bpt6k3043427n.r

150 pages of text, 2541 lots (incl. some group lots), many ill. on 40 plates (loose); Foreword by Forrer, Jr; Greek (1-1385); RRC (1386-1518); RIC (1519-2366); Byz (from Arcadius, 2367-2445); Goths etc. (2446-2452); Bronze Medallions & Contorniates (for which the sale is most famous, 2453-2541).

[Joe Sermarini]

https://www.forumancientcoins.com/numiswiki/view.asp?key=Richard%20J.%20Graham%20Collection

[Curtis JJ]

Excellent!