As an former avid salt water aquarist I have often thought about a topical collection that deals with marine life, so any thing that lives in the oceans that cover our planet... fish, mammals, corals, macro algae, etc.

Any of you out there ever look into this area?

,y case is different, i like to remain as world wide collector, but also want to create virtual albums that covers all themes. but not a physically different album, on physicaly different album i m working on one about animals coz one of my nephew and i my self(i love big and domestic cats) loves animals and we watch animal planet and national geography for hours some times . but the idea about marine + amphibians virtual collection was in my mind.

too funny while working on another collection i found a number of marine stamps!!!

while i have no intention of starting them as a topical they would look really nice if put together right...

I am thinking about this area of collecting... there are even Canadian stamps in this area that could be good for this type of collection.

I don't collect marine life topically - I do collect watercraft casually. However, I'd think that has the potential to be a wonderfully bright, colorful, educational theme to build a topical collection around. I'd also have to think there would be no shortage of potential material.

A few eBay searches:

+(marine life, aquatic, fish,coral,ocean,sea,saltwater)

+(marine life, aquatic, fish,coral,ocean,sea,saltwater) +(different,packet,kiloware,album,collection)

I see lots like 100 different for US$4... a quick search around the 'net shows I can pick up 100 different sea life for under $5... 300 different for about the $15 price point... 100 shell fish for under $9 so jump starting a collection of marine life wouldn't break the bank in give you a bunch of stamps to work with right away!

Thanks for the link bengalpaws... now to really see how I am going to delve into this one. Do I go solely mint or used, how to display, etc. New experience for me as I never did topical collections in the past.

Love a new learning experience.

Whichever you decide between used and mint be sure to stick with it! If it helps any so far anything topical and global in scope I go used.

oh man you just opened a huge can of worms!!!!

to be quite frank a topical is strictly up to the collector.. for example i persoanlly have a great stock book packed with my ships in the order i received them. i am considering organizing like this
Alphabetically by country > chronologically by date of issue > and in full sets (related or not)

HOWEVER

i could do the same with no sets, or just leave them and add more books as i go, or break them into types of ship, or by power method..

for you there are endless possibilities...

do you want to stay one country? world wide? time period? used? mint? sheets also or only? covers? LOL

i can keep going if i have not freaked you out!!!

You're so right, Bear. However he mentioned a key word to my ears (eyes?)... "display" which I take to mean going near or to the point of "exhibition". IF he meant it that way then based on the judging criteria used by exhibit judges he'd take a tremendous hit by mixing mint and used... IF one is to exhibit or even consider it going that far it would be best to pick one and stick to it.

If by "display" he means simply the way in which it is pulled together into one place then anything goes.

Hey, those aren't my rules they're the set in stone rules of the philatelic judges book... or whatever the thing is called.

Well to clarify, when I said display I was referring more to the personal display of my stamps in an album or whatever. I would never have thought to exhibit as that really isn't all my sort of thing. However, that being said, I wouldn't discount that entirely either. Plus with used you get into that issue of CTO's, smudged cancellations, bad cancels, etc. I am definitely leaning mint.

The mint route sounds cool given your subject matter has potential to be quite colorful... I mean tropical fish? How colorful can you get?

I just wouldn't feel right if I didn't completely muddy the waters for you - when you have a moment check this site out and look at a few exhibits. Think as big or bigger than some of the exhibits or thing smaller than the smallest. The thing being for me personally this site made me sit back and think to myself, "wow... a stamp collection can be ANYTHING!"

Both mint and used are represented so you can get a feel of the possibilities regardless of the route you take...

Exponet

hmmmm i have to state an opionion here... used all the way ..... yes i agree that the potential for CTo's is there along with smudges etc.. but isnt the hunt half the fun?

hey how come we never got any pix posted in this thread??

Still is a possible collection for me. Not completely sure, but, I have a feeling that I will be getting into it. There are SO many nice stamps out there depicting corals, fish mammals, crustaceans, etc.