Maxicards chat

I am not sure. But in China, write side is front. About cancel stamp, maybe you should check “Philatelic Code of Ethics for the Use of UPU Member Countries”.

I would agree @elmani that the picture side is the front and the side you write on is the back. A quick search on eBay for postcards with ‘FDI Front’ and ‘FDI Back’ will support that this is the general rule in the UK. If you’re ever not sure, you could always ask them to apply the postmark to the pictorial side of the card instead (this is the wording Royal mail use in their postmark bulletin).

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I made maxicards about the Cologne time travel stamp, Black Panther and the Postcrossing stamp! :slight_smile: The special cancellation office was soo fast this time. I sent the cards to them on 17th October and I got the cards back today!



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I received this fantastic maxi card as an official card - I love it!

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Maxicards from Ukraine and Russia.

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So as fellow postcrossers have mentioned above Maxi is short for:

Maxicard or Maximum card, where the postcard, stamp and postmark all match the same theme and are on the picture side.
They are also known as Front FDI (First Day of Issue)

I too have postcard that fold out from a book, I’ve always refered to them has postcard books.

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I have to disagree a bit Front FDI alwas has the first day of issue postmark on it. Maximum cards do not need to have the FDI postmark, it can be any related postmark. I often use on selfmade Maximum cards (and so it is also for the official issued German Maximum cards) special postmarks of events that fit well. For example:


this is an official issued Maximum card by German post but it doesn’t have a FDI postmark. It is a postmark of the stamp presentation event.


or another one - also an official issue. Again no FDI Postmark, but an postmark celebrating the event of 425 years existance of castle “Glücksburg”


in contrary to the 2 above this is an old German Maximum card, which was made with the official FDI postmark ^^

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Yes I agree, I should have made myself more clear.

Normally most ‘off the shelf’ maxicards produced feature a first day of issue postmark like the ones Australia Post produce,

However like you and me, we produce our own maxicards with the avaliable stamps, postcards and avaliable postmarks,
Most of the Maxicards I have produced this year feature a postmark that isn’t first day of issue, for example these QEII maxicards.

Even the above picture postcard maxicard above in my original post features a related but not FDI postmark.

I think amongst the UK community, as Maxicards are quite rare, they are usually know as Front Cancellation or Front First Day Issue cards.

For example if trawl through Ebay with Royal Mail PHQ Maxicards in the search, I get nothing, but if I search Royal Mail PHQ Front FDI I get plenty of old UK Maxicards for sale!

Maybe @geo_ understands what I mean?

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I have honestly never considered the differences and have used both terms interchangably up until now. However, it does make sense that they should only be called Front FDI if the postmark is a first day of issue postmark. However, I don’t think this is a requirement for a maxicard.

From my experience, the majority of maxicards I come across on sites like eBay do have an FDI postmark. I wonder if it’s just because this is the most common way people make maxicards in the UK, and people who create their own cards without FDIs do so them for themselves and therefore keep them rather than selling them?

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The other thing about the UK is that private Stamp & Coin dealers also produce there own covers and Pay Royal Mail to produce their own postmarks for these covers
Sponsored postmarks section within then postmark bulletin.

So you can actually purchase maxicards on occasions and they feature sponsored but not the first day of issue postmark.
But you pay over the odds for them.

https://www.buckinghamcovers.com/products/view/14914-harry-potter-set-of-5-phq-stamp-cards.php

In my experience its easier just to send off for the First Day of Issue postmark, but on occasions will apply for a related postmark when creating maxicards.

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In Switzerland there are not many maxicard to buy.
And we also don’t have a lot of special cancellation fitting to the stamps.
I did these cards in maxicard style, with a cancellation on the front (unfortunately the cancellation is not based on the same theme).
I know these aren’t correct maxicard. I only do this if some is asking for maxicards AND likes homemade cards.


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For the US see the stamp service section in the bulletin for 1st day postmarks and picture postmarks

Still really nice and cute. Liechtenstein issues,a lot if Maximum cards if you need real ones and maybe thats,an option for you :slight_smile:

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Sometimes I wonder why the date is differ from the First Day of Issue date on Royal Mail maxi-card. I don’t get it. With your explanation, I understood now.

Thank you for the long explanation!

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The year of the rabbit stamps were issued today in Japan🐇 There are four types of stamps and two types of postmarks.
By the way, the longer stamps has a lottery attached. Winners will receive stamp sheets and food etc.

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Got my first successful self-made maxicard back today! Super quick too

The postcard and the matching stamp have waited 25 years for this, and the Hammer Horror Dracula stamp is from 2008

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I’ve always wondered how that would have looked!

… And it’s Fab!

I’ve actually sent off with the same stamps, but on the rear of the postcard.

Thank you for sharing. :bat::black_heart:

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It was the day for the release of New Year’s cards and stamps for the New Year’s greeting, so I got the first day stamp.
The Chinese zodiac sign for next year is a rabbit. :rabbit:

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Interesting topics.
Beautiful cards.

I just bought a few official maximum cards from the Swiss Post.

As I understand, I have to add stamps on the written side before sending them.

Do I have to use the same stamp on the written side as the one on the front side?
Does it matter or not?
Thanks for your answer

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That’s such a good question! Thank you for asking that. I’m thinking I should make some after this discussion.