Topical Stamp Collecting
Topical stamp collectors are very much like the butterfly. They usually start their collecting of stamps early in their life. In time, they give up their collecting, building a cocoon as they marry and settle down, raise families, and compete for jobs. In time, something rekindles their interest and they emerge from their cocoons, often taking a radical change in their collecting habits. Where they were once stamp collectors, they are now philatelists. By the age of 50, most philatelists have a good idea of what really interests them and are looking for creative outlets to educate themselves in their interests and enjoy doing something that has an inherent, personal appeal. This, then, becomes a lifelong hobby for most. A hobby is defined as an activity which is done in order to find a venue for relaxation. Topical collecting fills that requirement for thousands of seniors. It is often one area in their lives over which they have total control.
How do we define “Topical” collecting? This is a facet of stamp collecting that allows a person to pick a subject, or topic, of special interest to them, and collect stamps which are pertinent to that subject. Most non-collectors have an impression that a stamp collector is a person who sits at a desk, like an accountant, covering rectangles in a stamp album with stamps that fit into each niche. That is not the way it is done in topical collecting. Topicalists create their own albums, usually on a computer. A topical collector first selects a subject of interest to him or herself. This could be a sport, an animal, something related to their careers, religion, or any of hundreds of topics of their own choosing. Collecting is not limited to just stamps. Many collectors collect stamped envelopes, known in the hobby as “covers”. Some collect postmarks while others may collect pictorial meters. Others collect “event covers” that are postmarked for space events, aircraft flights, ship launches, exhibitions and a wide variety of other events.
You will no doubt run across the word “thematic” when you collect “topicals”. Thematic is to Topical as Philatelic is to Stamp Collector. To illustrate, a stamp collector gathers up stamps and puts them in envelopes, a drawer, or a shoebox. A philatelist organizes and studies his or her stamps. All philatelists are stamp collectors. Not all stamp collectors are philatelists. When you first start gathering topical stamps you will be a Topicalist. When you organize and mount the stamps, studying the subject matter, and putting them in a sequence that tells a story, you will be a thematic collector. However, you will also still be a stamp collector, a philatelist and a topicalist. Confusing? Don’t worry about it. Just enjoy your collecting!
Who collects these miniature works of art? Recent surveys by several stamp-collecting newspapers show that the average collector is a male, aged 62 to 63 with a college degree or higher education. Research, enjoyment and relaxation are often given as reasons why these adults collect. That is the difference between a stamp collector and a philatelist. A stamp collector accumulates stamps. A philatelist studies either the stamps and their usage or, in the case of topicalists, the subject matter on the stamp.
According to Mr. Fred Greene, stamp columnist for the Dallas Morning News, “One of the beautiful aspects of this branch of the hobby is that the topicalist can collect and classify philatelic material in any way that provides maximum pleasure.” That well sums up why people collect stamps.
Many cover collectors fail to realize that they should use a “rag” content envelope in order to keep their covers from getting brittle and yellow in time. Also, the envelopes frequently come with cardboard stuffers which may have a high sulphuric content that will eventually attack the cover itself. The glue on the back of the envelope may also bleed through to the front over time. Collectors are well advised to find acid free paper and cut pieces that can be inserted in the envelopes and folded over the back so that the flap (kept outside of the envelope) closes against the paper. I’ve tested normal typing paper with an acid detector pen and found the varieties I use to be acid free.
The photo corners that are used to hold the covers to the page likewise should not be paper. There are archival safe plastic photo corners available at many craft stores, photo stores and some stamp dealers. Covers and stamps are mounted on sheets of paper that also should be acid free. Those sheets are often kept in plastic page protectors that are found in office supply stores and major discount merchandisers such as Sam’s Clubs. These should also say “Archival Safe” on the box.
How do we define “Topical” collecting? This is a facet of stamp collecting that allows a person to pick a subject, or topic, of special interest to them, and collect stamps which are pertinent to that subject. Most non-collectors have an impression that a stamp collector is a person who sits at a desk, like an accountant, covering rectangles in a stamp album with stamps that fit into each niche. That is not the way it is done in topical collecting. Topicalists create their own albums, usually on a computer. A topical collector first selects a subject of interest to him or herself. This could be a sport, an animal, something related to their careers, religion, or any of hundreds of topics of their own choosing. Collecting is not limited to just stamps. Many collectors collect stamped envelopes, known in the hobby as “covers”. Some collect postmarks while others may collect pictorial meters. Others collect “event covers” that are postmarked for space events, aircraft flights, ship launches, exhibitions and a wide variety of other events.
You will no doubt run across the word “thematic” when you collect “topicals”. Thematic is to Topical as Philatelic is to Stamp Collector. To illustrate, a stamp collector gathers up stamps and puts them in envelopes, a drawer, or a shoebox. A philatelist organizes and studies his or her stamps. All philatelists are stamp collectors. Not all stamp collectors are philatelists. When you first start gathering topical stamps you will be a Topicalist. When you organize and mount the stamps, studying the subject matter, and putting them in a sequence that tells a story, you will be a thematic collector. However, you will also still be a stamp collector, a philatelist and a topicalist. Confusing? Don’t worry about it. Just enjoy your collecting!
Who collects these miniature works of art? Recent surveys by several stamp-collecting newspapers show that the average collector is a male, aged 62 to 63 with a college degree or higher education. Research, enjoyment and relaxation are often given as reasons why these adults collect. That is the difference between a stamp collector and a philatelist. A stamp collector accumulates stamps. A philatelist studies either the stamps and their usage or, in the case of topicalists, the subject matter on the stamp.
According to Mr. Fred Greene, stamp columnist for the Dallas Morning News, “One of the beautiful aspects of this branch of the hobby is that the topicalist can collect and classify philatelic material in any way that provides maximum pleasure.” That well sums up why people collect stamps.
Many cover collectors fail to realize that they should use a “rag” content envelope in order to keep their covers from getting brittle and yellow in time. Also, the envelopes frequently come with cardboard stuffers which may have a high sulphuric content that will eventually attack the cover itself. The glue on the back of the envelope may also bleed through to the front over time. Collectors are well advised to find acid free paper and cut pieces that can be inserted in the envelopes and folded over the back so that the flap (kept outside of the envelope) closes against the paper. I’ve tested normal typing paper with an acid detector pen and found the varieties I use to be acid free.
The photo corners that are used to hold the covers to the page likewise should not be paper. There are archival safe plastic photo corners available at many craft stores, photo stores and some stamp dealers. Covers and stamps are mounted on sheets of paper that also should be acid free. Those sheets are often kept in plastic page protectors that are found in office supply stores and major discount merchandisers such as Sam’s Clubs. These should also say “Archival Safe” on the box.