Thematic philately
“Topical collecting is so entertaining, artistically satisfying and versatile … it can be the panacea for most stamp ills such as sheer boredom, disgust, disinterest and disillusionment. It can be taken very seriously as a major collecting interest with extensive research and planning, or it may be used as an entertaining and decorative sideline or supplement to a major specialty.” James H. McMeen.
When philately became a popular hobby the collectors started to accumulate philatelic items produced by different states. But towards the end of the 19th century, countries began to produce more stamps and it was almost impossible for collectors to include all these issues to their albums.
At this time thematic philately appeared. As a result, the aim of stamp collectors changed. They began to enrich their collections with the items on the particular theme. In fact, so many issues have been produced that some popular themes, such as "ships" or "birds", have become nearly impossible to complete, and topical collectors may specialize further, such as by looking for only square-rigged sailing ships, or only flightless birds.
You can start to create your topical stamp collection on two conditions:
- If you are a newbie philatelist and pursuit for stamps with a special subject
- If you possess some stamps that can be grouped according to a particular theme.
So how to collect topical stamps?
If you want to create your own thematic stamp collection you should remember that the best part of it lies on how you acquired the items. The most important condition is that you choose the topic you are fascinated with. It should be something that interests you and fuels your passion for thematic philately. This theme can be almost anything, but the most popular topics are animals, art, birds, Europa, flowers, ships, space, sports and even stamps on stamps.
The field of topical stamp collecting is often described having 2 main areas:
- Collecting stamps by subject (subject collection) usually arranged by country that issued it, in a chronological order, by its issued date
- Collecting stamps by theme (thematic collection; topical collection) usually arranged to tell people a story. Not arranged by the country that issued it; instead, the arrangement forms a theme.
Selecting a topic for thematic collection…
It is advisable to start with a broad topic and then break it down to smaller subtopics. In such a way you will easily group the postage stamps and will be able to assess how immense or how limited your topic will be.
You may follow the example represented in the scheme below:
In choosing topical stamps…
Even if your thematic stamps revolve around a single idea, there are ways how to organize your collection:
- by selecting similar stamps with a principal design
- by picking collectible items which have the same parts (for example stamps with similar perforations)
- by opting for postage stamps that feature your topic as a symbol or stamps than can be considered as supplementary for your collection.
After you have grouped your stamp collection into categories and subcategories, you will be able to see the bigger picture of your topical stamp collection.
Acquiring postage stamps
The philatelists can acquire postage stamps in several ways. Special topical stamp packets that consist of 50-100 items can be bought by turning to a stamp dealer.
If you already have some extra stamps that do not fall under your thematic collection, you can always trade these items with topical philatelists online or at special auctions or shows.
Topical stamps can be found in special philatelic catalogues that will help you to create a checklist of items which you want to aсquire. Scan several stamp catalogs like the Scott's Standard Postage Stamp Catalogue, and jot down the number of each item you are eager to buy.
But the easiest and the most convenient way is to accumulate the necessary items by searching for them in the internet. Online philately gives thematic philatelists a chance to search for their stamps of choice in their wide topical stamp inventories.
Organizing your topical stamp collection or thematic display
Just because your thematic stamp collections are growing in size, it does not mean that you should not be systematic when you present them. The important thing when displaying your topical stamp collection is creativeness. Each item is a small piece of history that is why it is essential to arrange your possession in a way that it tells a narrative. For instance you might want to chronicle your trip to Paris.
While creating a thematic display you can use not only postage stamps but also a wide variety of other philately items such as covers, postcards etc. For a well-organized topical collection, you need a stamp album. It is more than convenient when items in the album are arranged according to their age or the date of issuing. This way it will be easier to keep track of your thematic stamps.
Although the stamps vary in sizes, try to group them in such a way that your thematic display will look balanced and symmetrical. For this purpose use quadrille sheets to aid you in making a uniform spacing from one postage stamp to another. It is also useful to sketch the approximate place the items may need in the album before mounting them.
To avoid serious damages while handling your collection work with good tweezers. To keep your collection in safety, it is more advisable to use stamp mounts rather than stamp hinges.
The creative descriptions written for the items of your stamp collection will make it more interesting for other philatelists. However, these ads shouldn’t be too long. The best way is to make it short and not overly ornate.
What are the popular topics of thematic philately?
Think of any topic and someone probably collects it. Animals, birds, flowers, ships, space, scouts, Disney, and sports are some of the most popular themes. However, exhibits have been put together on much less common subjects such as rainbows and even outhouses on stamps.
Other sought after theme is wildlife. These issues may feature birds, fish, insects, tigers etc. Stamps on postage stamps became a popular topic in the modern philately. Most collectors fancy philatelic items with medical themes and stamps with magicians on them.
