maximaphily
File:2009 Russia Maximum Card Nikolai Gogol 01(front).jpg where the card, stamp and first day of issue postmark are in concordance]]
Maximaphily is a branch of philately involving the study and creation of maximum cards.Carlton, R. Scott. The International Encyclopaedic Dictionary of Philately, Krause Publications, Iola WI, 1997, p.154. {{ISBN|0-87341-448-9}}. It is one of eleven classifications of philately recognised by the Fédération Internationale de Philatélie (FIP) and therefore has its own FIP Commission.
The FIP Maximaphily Commission holds a biennial conference on the subject, most recently in Seoul in 2014.{{Cite web |url=http://www.maximaphily.info/Conferences.html |title=FIP Commission for Maximaphily |access-date=2011-10-21 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151224215942/http://maximaphily.info/Conferences.html |archive-date=2015-12-24 |url-status=dead }}
Maximum card
In philately a maximum card (also known as a maxi-card, or maxicard) is a postcard with a postage stamp placed on the picture side of the card where the stamp and card match or are in maximum concordance (similarity).{{Cite web|url=https://www.postcrossing.com/blog/2012/03/19/postcard-formats-maxicards|title=Postcard formats: Maxicards|website=www.postcrossing.com|language=en|access-date=2017-08-26}}{{Cite web|url=http://www.virginstamps.com/world_maximum_cards_maximaphily_cartoline_maximum.html|title=The Wonderful World of Maximum Cards|website=www.virginstamps.com|access-date=2017-08-26|archive-date=2017-02-16|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170216030128/http://www.virginstamps.com/world_maximum_cards_maximaphily_cartoline_maximum.html|url-status=usurped}} The cancellation or postmark is usually related to the image on the front of the card and the stamp.
Not every country issues maximum cards (e.g. US did very few) and some who do (e.g. Germany) have only a limited number of releases every year whereas others issue maximum cards for every stamp (e.g. Australia).{{Cite web|date=18 October 2021|title=Search Results for "maxicards"|url=https://auspost.com.au/shop/search?SearchTerm=maxicards|website=Australia Post Shop}}
History
Maximaphily did not become organised until after the Second World War. Before then maximum cards were created as novelties, often by tourists.Healey, Barth. [https://www.nytimes.com/1990/05/20/style/pastimes-stamps.html "Pastimes; Stamps"]. New York Times. 20 May 1990. Maximaphily is closely associated with thematic or topical stamp collecting and many thematic collections are enhanced with appropriate maximum cards.
Elements
A maximum card (maxicard, maxi-card, MC) is made up of three elements: the postcard, the stamp and the postmark.
The object of maximaphily is to obtain a card where the stamp and picture are in close concordance, ideally with an appropriate cancellation, too.
If all three elements are concordant, then that card truly is a maximum [concordance] card (hence the name maximaphily).
Preferably, the image on the postcard should not be simply an enlargement of the image on the stamp. There are exceptions. For example: a work of art, like a painting (not a detail of it), is often shown in its entirety, both on the postcard and on the stamp of the maxicard.
Competitions
Maximaphily displays have become popular at competitive philatelic exhibitions and special rules have been developed by the FIP to assist in judging the entries.{{Cite web |url=http://www.f-i-p.ch/regulation/pdf/Max-Srev_000.pdf |title=Regulations for the evaluation of Maximaphily exhibits. |access-date=2009-05-01 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160303180408/http://www.f-i-p.ch/regulation/pdf/Max-Srev_000.pdf |archive-date=2016-03-03 |url-status=dead }}
See also
References
{{Reflist}}
Further reading
- Brana, René et al. Catalogue des Cartes-Maximum de France: 1901–2007. Amiens: Yvert & Tellier, 2008 {{ISBN|978-2-86814-192-7}} 1118p.
- Cardoso, Eurico Carlos Esteves Lage. Manual do Coleccionador de Postais-Máximos. Lisbon: The Author, 1984 78p.
- Cardoso, Eurico Carlos Esteves Lage. O fascinio da maximafilia = La fascination de la maximaphilie = Fascination of Maximaphily. Lisbon: The Author, 1984 {{ISBN|972965641X}} 154p.
- Knight, Jesse F. How To Create Maximum Cards. 1996 23p.
- Les Maximaphiles Français. Les Cartes-Maximum de France: des origines à 1988. Saint-Maur-des-Fossés: les Maximaphiles français, 1989 465p.
- Rangos, Nicos. What is Maximaphily?, FIP Maximaphily Commission, 2006 [https://web.archive.org/web/20151224143825/http://maximaphily.info/Articles/What%20is%20MAXIMAPHILY%20_1_.pdf Download link].
External links
- [https://www.f-i-p.ch/wp-content/uploads/Maximaphily.pdf FIP maximaphily regulations]
- [https://web.archive.org/web/20090319194646/http://www.website-analyst.co.il/lucdesk/mcards.html Maximaphily description]
- [https://archive.today/20140410073621/http://www.apmaxima.com/ Asia Pacific Maximaphily]
- [http://bridge-maximumcard.blogspot.com/ Maximum cards of bridges]
- [http://www.mccraze.blogspot.com/ Malaysia Maximum cards by Ye Choh San]
- [https://mymaxicard.blogspot.com/ My maxi cards collection]
- {{usurped|1=[https://web.archive.org/web/20170216030128/http://www.virginstamps.com/world_maximum_cards_maximaphily_cartoline_maximum.html A history of maximum cards]}}
- [https://www.postcrossing.com/blog/2012/03/19/postcard-formats-maxicards Postcrossing Blog: maximum cards]