Maximaphily surges a new demand for postcards

To create a maximum card, one needs a postcard of matching view with the postage stamp. I did NOT realise the demand for postcards had dwindled in the recent years until I began to create maximum cards. The post card racks outside the shops were  gradually removed from the streets. Postcards are almost disappearing from the sight. In fact, I tried to enquire for postcards from book shops, souvenir shops, some of the shopkeepers did NOT even know what are postcards ? Local postcard producers wound up their businesses , most of them were pessimistic of the postcard business in this country. The rise of Maximaphily generates a little surge in the demand for postcard. Perhaps, we may see the production of  postcards gradually flows back into the market in the next few years. I love postcards and I love maximaphily !

• Maximum card realised with the "Medical Excellence" postage stamps issued 26.04.2010, FDI pictorial Cancel @ Kuala Lumpur

MC has a wider meaning ranging between a Maximum Card and a Mininum Card

As long as an MC conforms to the 3 in 1 basic rule ( a Real Post card + stamp + postmark , 3 elements in concordance) I will name the card an MC - it is just a matter of whether it is a Maximum Card or a Mininum Card. A Maximum Card will have the best concordance of the 3 elements, on the other hand , A Mininum Card has the least concordance of the 3 elements. There is no harm in creating a minimum card, after all, it is still an MC (minimum card). I do create minimum cards by using the lowest denomination stamps, it is heartache to use a high denomination stamp for just achieving a minimum card in return. It is difficult to achieve a 100% perfect maximum card in reality, unless the postcard is self designed to suit to the postage stamp. Maximaphily gives one the pleasure and excitement to hunt from the arrays of cards available in the market to look for the BEST to realise a MAXIMUM Card.  It is a consolation to have a MININUM Card if there is no other better cards available but please bear in mind to stick to the 3 in 1 basic rule when you are creating the MC.

• A MINIMUM Card created with the "medical excellence" stamp issued on 26.04.2010, FDI pictorial Cancel @ Kuala Lumpur

Bright Eyes - one of my favourite songs by Simon & Art Garfunkel 一颗明亮的眼睛

BRIGHT EYES

Lyric and song by : Simon & Art Garfunkel

Is it a kind of dream,
Floating out on the tide,
Following the river of death downstream?
Oh, is it a dream?

There's a fog along the horizon,
A strange glow in the sky,
And nobody seems to know where you go,
And what does it mean?
Oh, is it a dream?

Bright eyes,
Burning like fire.
Bright eyes,
How can you close and fail
How can the light that burned so brightly
Suddenly burn so pale?
Bright eyes.

Is it a kind of shadow,
Reaching into the night,
Wandering over the hills unseen,
Or is it a dream?

There's a high wind in the trees,
A cold sound in the air,
And nobody ever knows when you go,
And where do you start,
Oh, into the dark.

Bright eyes,
burning like fire.
Bright eyes,
how can you close and fail
How can the light that burned so brightly
Suddenly burn so pale?
Bright eyes.

• Maximum Card created with "Medical Excellence" stamp issued on 26.04.2010, FDI pictorial postmark Cancel @Kuala Lumpur

Don't turn a blind eye to cervical cancer

Greatly regret that LONDON 2010 opening on 8th May, 2010 at LONDON, UK is NOT giving respect to Maximaphily. Of all classes of philately recognised by FIP, Maximaphily is the ONLY class kept out of the door of LONDON 2010. It deprives global maximaphilists the opportunity to display at the world event, and  visitors the chance to view the beautiful maximum card exhibits owned by the renowned maximaphilists. One of the reasons given by the organiser of LONDON 2010 is that there is ONLY a handful of collectors/ exhibitors of MCs worldwide, hence, it is NOT advisable to have the class displayed at the show. Some of the traditional/postal history collectors are even condemning on Maximaphily as a class  of philately with no future. The organiser can be BLIND by claiming that there would NOT be sufficient exhibitors ,however,  collectors should NOT equate the hobby as a NON curable Cancer Cell. It is Not the end of the world for Maximaphily, isn't it ? With the strength of the maximaphilist grows globally,  I believe one day I will  see a World Exhibition organised solely on Maximaphily ,  Let's make it an event exclusively for Worldwide Maximum Card lovers Only!

• Maximum Card created with "Medical Execellence" stamp issued on 26.04.2010 , FDI pictorial cancel @ Kuala Lumpur

Blurry .. Don't let criticisms blur your expectation and interest in Maximaphily

I am sharing herewith a Maximum Card with a blurry image of a SHE with many small multiview images superimposed on it and it is an IRREGULAR shape postcard. I was lured to realise the postcard as a  Maximum Card knowing fully well that it does NOT conform to the present FIP rules. I just couldn't sentence this beautiful post card for a Death Penalty and store it forever in the box. I love the card and will like to present it as a "maximum card" although it may NOT be known as an "MC" by the present definition, it does conform to the basic 3 in 1 rule in Maximaphily.  Perhaps, I will name all cards non-compliant with FIP rules as Cinderella MCs just to differentiate them from the actual maximum cards. It is common for collectors to argue and debate over a set of rules BUT please don't let criticisms blur your expectation and interest in maximaphily .

• Maximum card realised with "Medical Excellence" stamp released on 26.04.2010 , FDI pictorial Cancel at Kuala Lumpur

Does GENDER really matter in the realisation of a Maximum Card?

Some Maximaphilists are going to the extreme in insisting there must be a concordance on the Gender as depicted on the stamp and the postcard i.e if the stamp depicts a male, the corresponding postcard must show a male and vice versa. Sometimes, these maximaphily extremists can really drive you crazy. I do wonder, does it really matter to conform to such stringent rules? Ask yourself, are you going to be tied by such invisible strings and landing youself in a helpless position ? Well, of course, one can realise a "perfect" MC to go in par with the postcard , even to the extreme by taking in the GENDER as consideration, I totally agree with that, however, there should NOT be any strings applied on others if GENDER is NOT being taken into consideration in the realisation of a Maximum Card. I will like to take the above MC as an example, I deem to recognise the gender on the stamp is a SHE, hence, I will realise MCs adopting postcards with SHE in mind, that however does NOT deter me from using any HE postcards to realise the above MCs.

I will leave the entire decision to the individual maximaphilist .

My motto in maximaphily - There is No Right or Wrong , There is Only Good and Bad.

• Maximum Card created on 26.4.2010 ( Medical Excellence stamp ), FDI Pictorial Cancel @ Kuala Lumpur

Keep food on hand for a rainy day 未雨稠缪

I do NOT wait for the annoucement of the new stamp schedule to begin hunting for postcards. It is too short a time to look for any postcard of match on the theme of the new stamp, hence, I decided to build up a postcard bank on common subjects to be ever ready for the creation of maximum cards at any juncture. Whenever there is an annoucement on a stamp release, I have my postcards to browse through for suitable ones to realise as maximum cards. As the Chinese Idiom says 未雨稠缪 i.e keep food on hand for a rainy day .. it is quite right that a maximaphilist has to get himself ready with postcards so as to avoid shortage when there is a need to do a Maximum Card. I was keeping the above postcard ( an advertisement card ) for ages, never thought one day it could be used to realise a Maximum Card, and it did well !

• MC realised with "Medical Excellence" stamp issued on 26.4.2010, FDI pictorial cancel @ Kuala Lumpur.

How about a change of the taste in realising a maximum card ?

I will use any postcard which is close resemblance to the stamp subject to realise a maximum card,  no matter it is a photographic postcard or an artistic postcard. Some collectors are strongly objecting to the use of artistic postcard . I see no reason why an artistic postcard cannot be used to realise a maximum card ?  Since the acceptance of the maximaphily as a philately class of its own by FIP ( Federation of International Philately ), there existed and attracted many arguments on the rules. I believe the basic rule of maximaphily i.e  The concordance of Stamp + postcard + postmark has to be saluted. Whether the other fine details on the rules  are to be respected and followed is up to the individuals. Of course, I will try wherever possible to follow the "strict" guidelines as far as possible in the realisation of a Maximum Card, however, many a times, I am creating Maximum Cards just to satisfy to the basic 3 in 1 rule. 

• The above Maximum Card was created with a "Medical Excellence" stamp duly cancelled on 26.4.10 with a FDI pictorial postmarking at Kuala Lumpur

I love the one I can choose

I can decide what I want in maximaphily, it gives me the authority to "create" what I want in philately - Yes, I love the one I can Choose. There is Only one design for the stamp, however, I can manipulate with the combination of the stamp and postcard to become many different maximum cards I love. I am FREE to do with the combinations and make the stamp stands out in the maximum cards. Many stamp collectors are complaining about the design of the "Medical Excellence" stamps issued on the 26.04.2010 and  someone was saying to boycott the issue, however, when comes to the making of Maximum Cards, the design seems to give a maximaphilist the rooms to play with the combinations, many creative and colorful MCs can be realised - that is what I mean by Maximaphily - fun, exciting and rewarding !

• Another Promotional Postcard depicting Taiwanese Artiste Ms. Rainie Yang (杨丞琳) was used to realise the above maximum card with the "Medical Excellence" stamp released on 26.4.2010, FDI pictorial cancel @ Kuala Lumpur

You could smile if you have done a correct Maximum Card

You could smile if you have done a correct Maximum Card . You feel sad and moody when a proper MC is messed up by a poor cancellation of the postmark , especially so, when the postcard is a Real Hard find . No matter how "professional" you are in canceling of the postmark on a maximum card, at times, miss handling does occur, this cannot be avoided.  If the MCs are given to the postal department for cancellation, the chances of getting back good postmark cancels on the MCs are even lower ( speaking  in the case of Malaysia postal departments) . Worst of all, the cards sent for postmarking were NOT returned to you at all. No choice, as a maximaphilist, you will have to faced with these mishaps. I hope all of you will be smiling with the MCs you have created.

• The above Maximum Card was realised on 26.4.2010 with stamps themed " Medical Excellence " bearing FDI pictorial cancel at Kuala Lumpur.

Keep your eyes open while hunting postcards for creation of MCs

Keep your eyes open even if you are ONLY doing a window shopping, at times you do find advertisement postcards available at the shops around you, pick up these FREE advertisement cards and they can be of use for your creation of Maximum Cards. I have the above Ad Card picked up at one of the Optical Shops somewhere ( forgotten where was it, since I picked up cards wherever I saw them). Bingo, and this Ad card I picked years ago was able to allow me to realise a nice MC for the stamps on "Medical Excellence" issued on the 26th April, 2010. The card features the popular taiwanese artise RAINIE YANG (杨丞琳) whom was a promotion ambassador for an optical lens company. Well, a nice maximum card is done with a card picked up from an optical shop .. hence, do remember to keep your eyes open whilst shopping, there are cards lying around for you to bring home.

Still pondering whether to jump into maximaphily ???????

Are you still hanging at the cross road pondering whether to jump into maximaphily ? Are you discouraged by the existence of ONLY a handful collectors around hence it is NOT a hobby to be pursued ! I can tell you that maximum cards are NOT like postage stamps which are produced in bulk, maximum cards are realised by collectors, usually they are small in numbers. Maximum cards will NOT drop from the sky, and they are NOT stocked in Post Offices or in the dealers's hand waiting for you to purchase at any time in the future. If one does NOT realise a maximum card, there will be NO maximum card in existence. Don't look at me, I can't help you in any way to acquire maximum cards .. you need to learn to fish for yourself . Don't come back and tell me in 10 years from now that you feel regret for NOT realising any MCs in the past. I will like to listen to what you say in the year 2020!

Have you found your perfect match yet ?

Have you found your perfect match yet ? What I mean is the 3 in 1  match criteria in maximaphily, and if you have found ONE and done a perfect Maximum Card by yourself , Congratulations ! If you have NOT yet found a perfect match, Not to worry, there are opportunities ahead awaiting you to accomplish. New stamps are coming up each month , certainly, there will be ONE for you to accomplish the perfect match. Good Luck in the fun of creating maximum cards.

It has to be YOU to make the first move indulgence in Maximaphily

To realise a Good Maximum Card, one will have to get his hands down to work on a maximum card oneself. There are sweats and sorrows in the process of realising a maximum card which every maximaphilist who had his hands worked on an actual maximum card would be able to tell how "difficult" it is to correlate the stamp, the postcard and the postmark in the finished product. Yes, probably, you may have heard someone says, isn't it a simple job to cancel the stamp on the card, in a matter of seconds, a maximum card is done! I will like to invite YOU to have a personal hand on try to look for a matching postcard, have a concordant stamp affixed on it, and make a good cancel of a related postmark on the card. I will like to congratulate you if you are able to succeed in creating a perfect MC on your first trial. Will like to listen to your experience in the process of creating a maximum card. GOOD LUCK and enjoy collecting and creating MCs.

Let TIME proves itself the popularity of Maximaphily

Although maximaphily is NOT new, in comparison to the other classes of philately e.g traditional, postal history, aerophilately etc., maximaphily is still "unknown" to many stamp collectors. Take Malaysia as an example, there are thousands of stamp collectors, however, there is ONLY a handful of maximum card collectors. Somehow, I find maximaphily  exciting , I cannot resist to realise a Maximum Card for each new stamp issue locally. I can see a few new collectors joining in the "spree" of realising maximum cards, it is a sign of the hobby gradually picked up by Malaysians. I am sure Time will prove the popularity of the hobby in Malaysia and I hope one day Maximum Card will be the STAR featured on the cover page of the internationally known TIME magazine as what is shown as the MC above , an MC which I had realised with a TIME promotional advertisement card on the "Medical Excellence" stamp issued on 26th April, 2010.

What else can I eye on ... of course Maximum Cards

What else can I eye on .. needless to say - I am eying on every opportunity to realise a good Maximum Card. The difficulty lies on the availability of matching postcards for a theme. I find commercial Advertisement cards are excellent materials for the realisation of maximum cards, without Ad Cards, I believe I shall NOT be able to realise many MCs to match. 

What an excellent caption on the above Ad Card : I am TALENT .. talent in Maximaphily.

Put your hands on Maximaphily

Maximaphily is no doubt an exciting philately hobby. Put your hands on maximaphily, you will feel the excitement of the creation of your own maximum cards. There is always opportunity for you to create a maximum card with the new stamp issue. The choice is yours, don't let the opportunity slips away. It is always NOT to late to create a maximum card. Why NOT do it today !

I can't afford a submarine, I can have an MC of it.

Educate the youngs to collect and create Maximum Cards

Tiger

Malaysian Coins captured on MCs

You - take the lead in Maximaphily

Thanks Nahum, my friend, for this wonderful Dolphin MC from Israel

Pasar - the Malaysian Market

Malaysian BATIK

Tiger

Tiger in Chinese painting

Tiger

Tiger

Tiger in painting

TIGER

Tiger in RPPC

Real photo post card in Black & White for MCs appeals to me

I like RPPC (real photo PC) for realisation of maximum cards.

TIGER

Think Positively in Maximaphily

Maximaphily is the ONLY class in FIP which allows the collectors to create their own philatelic items, Hence, collectors are given a FREE Hand to create  collectibles abiding to a certain guidelines and rules. Think positively in maximaphily, you are ONLY a step away from the exciting hobby.

Popularise MCs to make them available at Market one day !

Popularise Maximum Cards, perhaps, one day you will find maximum cards are available in the local Market places too !

MS stamps occupy space on MCs - Malaysian FERN

MS stamps are often larger in size than the normal stamps and the stamp face value is often many times more expensive than the normal stamps. Malaysia POST issues MS for a majority of the stamp issues. As a maximaphilist, I will try to realise the MS stamp on MCs if I am able to find relevant postcards to match the subject. Personally, I do NOT like large MS stamp on MCs as the stamp occupies a large proportion of the postcard picture. Anyway, whether the MC is aesthetically appealing OR not, it is a piece of record in my ALBUM on the Malaysian maximaphily.

Petai - A wildly grown "Vegetable" found in Malaysian Forest

Petai

Always Pursue for a close 3 in 1 in maximaphily

I will always pursue for a close 3 in 1 in the realisation of a maximum card i.e the stamp, the post card and the postmark (3 elements) are closely tied in subject, place and time. It is like a properly blended 3 in 1 coffee, the coffee tastes perfect and gives you the satisfaction. In a 3 in 1 blended coffee, the coffee, the creamer and the sugar have to be blended in good proportion, and the 3 elements are to be present in the 3 in 1 coffee to give you the perfect coffee taste. Salt , pepper and other spices cannot be blended into the coffee , coffee is coffee. MC is like a 3 in 1 coffee, other elements which are irrelevant cannot be simply tied on to an MC. Many MC collectors or creators tend to neglect the importance of the place of concordance ( the postmark ) on an MC. The postmark on the MC is just like one of the 3 important elements that constitutes a 3 in 1 coffee, without the proper ingredient of the postmark, the MC loses its taste. No matter how matching is the stamp and postcard, if the postmark is irrelevant , the MC loses its attraction and I will say, its value too! The place of concordant ( the postmark ) ties the stamp to the postcard on an MC providing the subject a connection and link. People always tie a certain food speciality to a place/town where the food originates e.g Coffee may be associated with Muar/Ipoh (Malaysia) etc, and many people will find their way to stop by these towns to purchase/taste the original food speciality. Why do people fancy original flavour food ? Yes, it is the original taste that gives one the satisfaction ! Similarly in Maximaphily, a truly concordant card gives a pure maximaphilist the true feel of satisfaction.  Do it , pursue for the perfection - the satisfaction is with you. Mind you, DO Not waste your postcard which does NOT come by easily to realise a non-concordant MC. A non-concordant MC is like a cup of poorly blended coffee! Enjoy collecting.

Malaysia - Korea joint issue on Tigers

Date of Joint Issue : 23.2.2010

Place of cancellation : Jerantut, Pahang

Footprints of the Tiger

Malayan Tiger ONLY exists in West Malaysia

Date of Issue : 23.02.2010

Place of Cancellation : JERANTUT - the Gateway to National Park

Metamorphisis - You must have a complete change to get the feel

Hobby is NOT something that is DEAD and fixed , Collecting stamps has been a hobby for a long history, a change in the traditional way of collecting stamp is necessary to boost the interest of the collectors - YES, maximaphily chips in perfectly as a branch of philately, it involves with stamps and gives more pleasure in the hunting of postcards and reallising of the maximum cards. Take a ride of the growing trend of the hobby and hope you will enjoy it.

A Toast ....

A toast to all maximaphilists ... Have another year of fun with realising maximum cards locally and abroad. Cheers .

I Love Maximaphily

I love Maximaphily, I love to realise maximum cards. Maximaphily is a branch of philately which allows a philatelist to create a philatelic product of his own. No one can print a stamp, however, one can freely produce a maximum card. Maximaphily is fun filled, exciting and satisfying. If you have NOT started to create a maximum card of your own, start now ... it is never too late to it.

The days when we were young ...

When we were lads, we were wild. We used to catch fish in the streams, looking for fighting spiders, flying kites in the fields, those days were filled with fun and joy. Glad to see stamps are going "young" and better with the Maximaphily, I can create whatever I like with the stamps attached on it.

A card I realised ages ago ....

 That was many years back I did this MC without knowledge of the FIP rules and guidelines. A complete set of stamps was affixed on the card, of course, as reviewed by the current FIP rules and guidelines for Maximaphily, this card does NOT qualify to be a maximum card by definition. However, this is one of the early cards I have realised, I still treasure it in my album. 

The King of all fruits - Durian

This is the King of all Fruits of Malaysia - the DURIAN. Durian is a seasonal fruit, normally, the tree bears fruit twice a year. Durian will be seen everywhere when the fruit bearing season approaches. Most of the Malaysians like to eat the fruit, however, most of the foreigners seem to deter away from it for the strong scent it has.

1 MALAYSIA dessert - Ice Kacang

Ice Kacang OR "ABC" is a cold dessert favoured by Malaysians of all races. This dessert is Sold by all corners of Malaysia , hence, it can be qualified as a typical 1-MALAYSIA food .