European Stamp Prices & News

A maximum card is a postcard that is pre-printed with its stamp on the front (picture) side of the card, the stamp being related (often exactly similar) to the picture and to the cancellation stamp. The cancellation is often on the first day of issue; these cards are for collectors rather than the general public. For example:

This card’s main picture, stamp, and cancellation are all the exact same thing, Pablo Picasso’s “Woman Reading”. (This is a French issue from 1982.)

Maximum cards come in just about every conceivable category, and it is not only the first-day cancellation and the unity between their elements that make them unique and coveted by collectors. There is also great interest in exactly how the cards are designed, in the relationship and similarity or disparity between the three areas involved.

 
This maximum card honors the marriage of Grace Kelly to Monaco’s Prince Ranier III - the card is black and white but the stamp is color, and unlike the Picasso the cancellation is not a copy of the main image but an ornate decoration:

 
This rather striking Dutch example shows a 1944 stamp depicting the Nieuw Amsterdam, a liner built for the Holland America Line in 1938. The picture is a realistic depiction of the vessel, while the stamp is a stylized interpretation. Such juxtapositions satisfy collectors who have an eye for graphic design, which features heavily in maximum card design:

Collecting maximum cards can be an excellent niche for your hobby. Many are available, whether you choose to concentrate on a particular subject (wildlife, transportation, famous people) or examples from a specific country or region.

Browse current maximum card auctions here.

Do you have an interesting or unique maximum card? Or have you found a good one on the internet? Tell us about it in Comments, or send a scan of it to the_oldsalt(a)yahoo.com; we’ll write a blog post about any neat ones we get information about.

Send this info to someone else:

Close this Window Bookmark and Share This Page

Save to Browser Favorites / Bookmarks

Ask backflip blinklist BlogBookmark Bloglines BlogMarks Blogsvine BuddyMarks BUMPzee! CiteULike co.mments Connotea

del.icio.us Digg diigo DotNetKicks DropJack dzone Facebook Fark Faves Feed Me Links Friendsite folkd.com

Furl Google Hugg Jeqq Kaboodle kirtsy linkaGoGo LinksMarker Ma.gnolia Mister Wong Mixx MySpace

MyWeb Netvouz Newsvine oneview OnlyWire PlugIM Propeller Reddit Rojo Segnalo Shoutwire Simpy

Slashdot Sphere Sphinn Spurl Squidoo StumbleUpon Technorati ThisNext Webride Windows Live Yahoo!

Email This to a Friend

Copy HTML: 

 If you like this then please subscribe to the RSS Feed or Email Feed.

Powered by Bookmarkify™

More »