Topical Stamp Collecting -- Ships on Stamps

Topical stamp collecting is probably the most common form of stamp collecting. There are literally thousands of different categories (topics) from which one can choose to specialize. Some of the larger and more common topics are Astronomy & Space (sometimes together and also separately), Lighthouses, Birds, etc. etc. The American Topical Association is a marvelous organization that provides checklists and information.

My topical collections are not very well organized, but include the following:

• US Flag Stamps; a reasonably small and manageable collection
• Physics & Chemistry
• Astronomy & Telescopes
• Fossils & Paleontology
• Definitive Stamps of the World; ridiculous and un-completable, but I really like these sets of smaller stamps ... includes the outrageously complicated British Machins ...
• Engraved Stamps of Czeslaw Slania
• Plate Number Coils; singles, strips of three, and strips of five (here and here for info)

and a new one

• Ships on Stamps

It turns out that collecting ships on stamps is the largest of all topical collecting groups. There is a 'Ships on Stamps Study Group' which publishes it's own journal, and provides tons of information. Obviously there are multiple ways to approach this topic ... at this point, I'm just identifying and collecting different stamps that depict watercraft. to that end, here are some stamps that I own: