A Topic Full Of Topics - A Fanciful Question About Topicals

I would say this stamp fits the topic of Coats of Arms because it bears the Coat of Arms of the Republic of Panama.

Or would you also say that this is an: Eagle, bird, motto, sunrise, cornucopia and star topical?

How finely does one split up a stamp design for topics?

Of course there is also a sword, rifle, shovel, pick-axe and winged wheel in the design as well. Oh, and don't forget flags.

I think that the more general a topic description, for selling or collecting, the more people will look at it.

Yours is Coats of Arms, Crests, perghaps Eagles, but not Birds which usually have scientific names.


Like you say, you can get pretty detailed at times if you want to.

That's a nice copy of the Panama stamp.

I think different topical collectors approach it from different ways. A prime example is the Republic of China junk stamp. Topical category? boats, obviously.

But, there is a tiny train in the background. I believe that some detailed topical lists of trains on stamps include them.

If you want to collect all stamps with trains on them, you better get them (and with the overprints, etc., where would you stop? Yikes). If you want to collect stamps that feature, or focus on, trains, you can probably ignore them.

That's my 2d.

I think on a topical stamp the topic should
be the main feature, not little things in
the background. On the stamp shown it
would be `coat of arms` only.

Thank you gentlemen. Your comments make much sense.

I have just posted images of the entire set if interested.

http://www.stampsoftheworld.co.uk/w...Coat_of_Arms

Cjd wrote




Here is that stamp, the train is on the right side of the junk.



alanl wrote



I basically agree, but that's the nice thing about topical collections, it's the stamp collector who determines what goes into his collection and what does not. The topic may not be the main feature but only an important feature, and when the stamp is nice overall I would take it, like in the case of this windmill:





Klaus

I collect stagecoaches on stamps ... and even if the stagecoach is a minor part of the image I still include it.

How many topics can you find on this stamp? - 1. topic: Amphibians (also Zoology or Animals):




European Cave Salamander (Proteus Anguinus). The European cave salamender is a tailed amphibian. It can grow up to 30 cm in lenght. It lives only in subterranean waters of Dinaric karst from Slovenia to Herzegovina. It is the only Europe`s real cave amphibian. It is extremly well adapted to its natural habitat. Its skin is colourless, it breaths with gills although it also has and uses lungs. It breeds by laying eggs and in exceptional cases by giving birth to live youngs.

How many topics can you find on this stamp? - 2. topic: Antiques (also Archeology):

.....

.....

The situla from the archaeological site of Vaèe. It is 24 cm high with the middle diameter of 23 cm and with the bottom diameter of 13 cm. Is is made of bronze sheet. Its decorations represent ritual scenes, animal sketches, riders on horsback and animals harnessed to battle carriages. It was found near town Vaèe where an important civilisation and cultural centre was discovered. It was made in 6th century to 5th century BC by Hallstatt crasftsman

how about these collected as ships on stamps? Or specifically the HMS Bounty ...

The topic had to be the main feature on stamp.
Only if there is no material of topic or it is rare you could put the stamps in your colection.
Your stamps of snails belong to colection of snails.

I actually have it listed under three different topicals ... Mollusks, Latin Names, AND Ships on Stamps. My collection, my rules eh? T'was sort of the point of the OP I think ;-)

How many topics can you find on this stamp? - 3. topic: Architecture:





Hay Draying-Frame a structure for the drying and storing of hay and other produce is undoubtedly a significant particularity of Slovenia. It is tipical of large part of the country. A variety of types and regional variants combine two principals features: functional and aestetic aspect.