Theme collecting can also be risky
As a boy of about 12, I got the idea to start collecting a theme alongside the collection of the Netherlands and colonies. That way, I could at least do as I pleased. So, even then, I was headstrong enough to get rid of the pre-printed album and build a collection of my own.
Within a short time, I had quite a few stamps with images of all kinds of ships on them. So many, in fact, that I had to make a choice. I chose sailing ships and ships that had sails in addition to a steam engine. Finding the name of the depicted ship, in particular, was sometimes an impossible task. I found many names, but many others I did not.
At the stamp society I was a member of at the time (I was the only youth member at the moment), I came into contact with an older collector who said that he had a few very old stamps with sailing ships on them. I could trade the two 'Canal Maritime de Suez' stamps from 1868 for a Dutch stamp he had his eye on. A stamp of the Netherlands, King William III, worth ƒ 2,50. I shouldn't think about it too long, because the owner had already received an offer from another collector. The stamps were very valuable, he said. I went ahead with it and was very happy with the two stamps. I didn't have the sailing ship and steamship combination yet!
Two months later, I ran into the man again, and he told me that he also had a few stamps from Buenos Aires with sailing ships on them. Of course, I had heard of that city in geography class, but its own stamps? I didn't know that.
He told me that Buenos Aires had been a republic for a short time but later became a province of Argentina. The stamps were from 1858, so ten years older than those of Suez. He showed me the stamps, said again that they were very valuable but that I could exchange them for a series of Dutch East Indies stamps with the JAVA overprint. I did this as well. Yet another beautiful combination of a sailing ship with paddlewheels.
At the third meeting, he showed me three stamps, again featuring beautiful ships. One from Venezuela and two from Paraguay. The Venezuelan stamp was from 1903 and had been issued by insurgents during the revolution. But he said he couldn't find the other two in the catalog. He was willing to trade the Venezuelan stamp, and I would get the other two for free. I was quite keen on that too, so I traded for the other series from the Dutch East Indies with the overprint 'OUT OF POSSESSION'. Another collector sitting at a table a little further away happened to see our trade and came over to us. He spoke to the man, asking what he was doing! I was terribly shocked by that. Had I been taken for a ride? The other collector asked if I had traded anything else, and I had the earlier stamps with me in a stockbook. When he heard what I had traded those stamps for, he got angry and went to the chairman. To make a long story short: the man I had traded with had to return my stamps, and I was allowed to keep the Suez and Buenos Aires stamps—which later turned out to be fake. I have kept them ever since. As a warning: watch out! Have you ever had an unpleasant experience while trading stamps?
Within a short time, I had quite a few stamps with images of all kinds of ships on them. So many, in fact, that I had to make a choice. I chose sailing ships and ships that had sails in addition to a steam engine. Finding the name of the depicted ship, in particular, was sometimes an impossible task. I found many names, but many others I did not.
At the stamp society I was a member of at the time (I was the only youth member at the moment), I came into contact with an older collector who said that he had a few very old stamps with sailing ships on them. I could trade the two 'Canal Maritime de Suez' stamps from 1868 for a Dutch stamp he had his eye on. A stamp of the Netherlands, King William III, worth ƒ 2,50. I shouldn't think about it too long, because the owner had already received an offer from another collector. The stamps were very valuable, he said. I went ahead with it and was very happy with the two stamps. I didn't have the sailing ship and steamship combination yet!
Two months later, I ran into the man again, and he told me that he also had a few stamps from Buenos Aires with sailing ships on them. Of course, I had heard of that city in geography class, but its own stamps? I didn't know that.
He told me that Buenos Aires had been a republic for a short time but later became a province of Argentina. The stamps were from 1858, so ten years older than those of Suez. He showed me the stamps, said again that they were very valuable but that I could exchange them for a series of Dutch East Indies stamps with the JAVA overprint. I did this as well. Yet another beautiful combination of a sailing ship with paddlewheels.
At the third meeting, he showed me three stamps, again featuring beautiful ships. One from Venezuela and two from Paraguay. The Venezuelan stamp was from 1903 and had been issued by insurgents during the revolution. But he said he couldn't find the other two in the catalog. He was willing to trade the Venezuelan stamp, and I would get the other two for free. I was quite keen on that too, so I traded for the other series from the Dutch East Indies with the overprint 'OUT OF POSSESSION'. Another collector sitting at a table a little further away happened to see our trade and came over to us. He spoke to the man, asking what he was doing! I was terribly shocked by that. Had I been taken for a ride? The other collector asked if I had traded anything else, and I had the earlier stamps with me in a stockbook. When he heard what I had traded those stamps for, he got angry and went to the chairman. To make a long story short: the man I had traded with had to return my stamps, and I was allowed to keep the Suez and Buenos Aires stamps—which later turned out to be fake. I have kept them ever since. As a warning: watch out! Have you ever had an unpleasant experience while trading stamps? 
Oh man, that’s sickening! I once accidentally swapped a souvenir sheet; luckily, I had chosen a few tulips and daffodils and the like from Belgium in exchange. The recipient thought I was allowed to choose much more, and why did I choose exactly those things he had loads of? But I was fine with it; I didn't have them yet.
It just goes to show that you simply shouldn't be or become too greedy; that way, it stays fun and you can absolutely build a really beautiful collection! Also, just look for stamps with a story or something... it's not the monetary value that counts, but the narrative value it holds for you!
Where money is involved, unfortunately, people appear who want to make (a lot of) money off you. (Or save money. The first postal forgery dates back to 1850!)
Fortunately, nowadays one can obtain a lot of information from the internet. For example, the site http://www.island.net/~rjbw/SuezCanal.html about the so-called Suez seals (which are also mentioned in this article). Or the site http://www.geocities.com/claghorn1p/ with the complete Fournier album.
Acquiring more knowledge is necessary. And your wallet will “benefit” from it.