- Maximaphily
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Maximaphily is a branch of philately involving the study and creation of maximum cards.[1] 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 Lisbon in 2010[2].
Contents
History
Maximaphily did not become organised until after the Second World War. Before then maximum cards were created as novelties, often by tourists.[3] Maximaphily is closely associated with thematic or topical stamp collecting and many thematic collections are enhanced with appropriate maximum cards.
Elements
A maximum card 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. The image should not be of the stamp on the card.
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.[4]
References
- ^ Carlton, R. Scott. The International Encyclopaedic Dictionary of Philately, Krause Publications, Iola WI, 1997, p.154. ISBN 0-87341-448-9.
- ^ FIP Commission for Maximaphily [1]
- ^ Healey, Barth. "Pastimes; Stamps" in The New York Times, 20 May 1990. Download link.
- ^ Regulations for the evaluation of Maximaphily exhibits.
Further reading
- Rangos, Nicos. What is Maximaphily?, FIP Maximaphily Commission, 2006 Download link.
External links
Categories:- Philatelic terminology
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