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Friday, June 24, 2011

Maximaphily activity reports per country in 2009 and 2010. I am trying to promote maximaphily worldwide, as you may have noticed :)

2009 Maximaphily activity reports per country:

Excerpt:
"48. UNITED STATES: (Terry WATSON)
2009 was not a productive year for Maximaphly within the United States.  
The U.S.’s Maximum Card Study Unit (MACSU) has been only minimally functional during this year.  
MACSU membership has declined.  
Interactions between club members have not been as strong and the MACSU Journal has not been issued. 
There are plans to revive MACSU in 2010 with a membership drive and by moving to publishing an on-line journal (in color) that will include articles written by a variety of collectors.
- We are not aware of any new Maximaphily Exhibits, National Level Exhibitions, nor participation in International Exhibitions by United States collectors.
- On the positive side, a small number of United States Maximum Card collectors continue to realize Maximum Cards following the FIP rules for their personal collections, to exchange with other collectors, and to sell in such venues as ebay.
In 2009, the USPS (US Postal Service) issued 79 stamps ( part of 9 sets of stamps and 14 individual stamps), on the Flags of the Nation series, the Lighthousesissue, Early TV Memories,  the Pacific Kelp Forest issue etc. From these stamp issues, we estimate that about 60 different Maximum Cards were created in the USA.
- Also our member Dorin Cojucariu [Cojocariu] has a web site, where he promotes Maximaphily exchanges on his main topic of MC on wild animals. Another member Sun Yu went to ITALIA 2009 and attended the Maximaphily Seminar there. He is also working on preparing Maximaphily Exhibits on his topics on Sculpture and Paintings."
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48. UNITED STATES  (Terry WATSON) 
- For the past three years, the official maximum card club of North America MACSU (Maximum Card Study Unit) has not been functional.  

However, as the end of 2010 approached there was movement to resurrect the club.  
Recently a new Board of Directors was established, a business license was applied for and received, a bank account established, and the first Journal in three years will be ready for publication in early 2011.  
This journal will be published “on-line”, thus saving paper, printing, and postage costs.  
Membership dues will be cut to only $12 annually for collectors who can receive the Journal electronically.  
Anyone interested in joining the reconstituted club can contact the new Treasurer, Gerry Marandino at brooklyngerry@gmail.com  
- There are other small, but positive signs for Maximum Card collecting in the USA.  

Communication between maximum card collectors in the USA is growing as email addresses are shared between collectors.  
Recently, all of the known maximum card collectors in the USA were contacted and asked to submit their best 2011 maximum card realizations and a vote was taken for the USA’s entry into the Best Maximum Card of the Year Contest.  
Mr. Sun Yu’s realization of Winslow Homer’s painting of “The Boys in the Pasture” was the winner and will represent the USA in contest OR in the 'World Competition of the Best Maximum Card created in 2010', that will be held later on this year. 
This communication was the first attempt to reach all USA collectors via the internet.
- Another positive indicator regarding maximum card collecting in the USA is that several American collectors have received some success in selling maximum cards at internet auction sites such as eBay.  

Often, these “entrepreneurs” sell duplicate cards that they have realized.  
Several North American maximaphilists are also actively exchanging cards with one another, yet another sign of growth of the hobby.  
- The United States Postal Service has not issued Official Maximum Cards in decades, and only one small stamp company is known to produce any USA maximum cards and these are produced in small quantities and do not meet FIP criteria. 

Thus, the overwhelming number of USA maximum cards of recent years are collector-realized cards, usually realized in small numbers.  
While the number of maximum card collectors is small, these collectors used over fifty (50) different 2010 USPS stamp issues to realize over an estimated 1000 MCs.  
Several maximum card collectors in the USA also enjoy creating non-traditional maxicards, with over 100 of these types of cards being created in the past year.
- The author is unaware of any exhibitions, exhibits, seminars, or other events that featured maximum cards in the USA in 2010.  

These are issues that the newly reorganized North American Maximum Card Study Unit will need to address in coming years if the hobby is to grow in the USA.  
-  Last year, the USA took part in the"World Competition of the Best Maximum Card created in 2009', with the Maximum Card 'Surfer & Out-Rigged Boat, Waikiki Beach, Honolulu, Hawaii' created  by  Terry Watson. 

This competition was on Oct. 7, 2010 in Lisbon.

3 comments:

  1. Perhaps you should be publishing that online journal too! King of Maximaphily. (I can't even say that word without sounding like daffy Duck)

    ReplyDelete
  2. This comment has been removed by the author.

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  3. @Christine: Thanks, but...no, thanks! My blog is time-consuming enough. It sucks (my energy).
    I'd rather spread the love (of maximaphily) - let Terry do the Journal, and others contribute, occasionally.
    I should write an article, as well, as Terry invited me.
    My toossentz.

    King? Nah!
    But I sure feel like an Ambassador...Promoter...
    E-teacher...Partner...Student...["But wait, there's more!"]...Designer...Researcher...
    Translator...Motivator...
    Facilitator...Connector...
    Networker...
    ["Are you done self-aggrandizing, Dorin?"]...Worker/Slave...Craftsman...Writer...Editor...Essayist...
    Philosopher ["Ah, stop it!"]...(Stand-up)Comedian...(Virtual) Globetrotter...and even more.
    :)

    ReplyDelete

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