FRAMED SET OF FOUR MINERAL MAXI CARDS - HEIN BOTHA DESIGNED IN SOUTH AFRICA

Framed Set of Four Mineral Maxi Cards - Hein Botha designed Stamps 1984 See blog by Fred Haynes on "south-african-mineral-maxicards" "A Maximum Card (often referred to as a maxicard) is a philatelic postcard with a postage stamp placed on the picture side of the card. The stamp and card match or in some way relate to each other. Maxicards are officially released by many of the world’s postal services, but they are also generated personally by individuals combining a stamp issue with a simple souvenir postcard. In most cases, the cancellation is also related to the image on the front of the card and the stamp. As a collector of minerals, mining and geology on stamps South Africa’s 1984 four-stamp set commemorating some of the country’s strategic resources was a fine add to my collection. It was not until a couple of years ago, however, that I learned that the officially released Maximum Cards S10-S13 for these stamps featured geologic maps. Not only would this satisfy another of my topical interests (maps on stamps), but as a retired geologist I found the inclusion of geologic maps on the “Maxicards” most interesting. Thanks to a tip provided by a fellow member of The CartoPhilatelic Society on the club’s shared discussion site, I was able to purchase a complete set via an online source. Now it seemed only fitting that I [Fred] research the stamps and maps a bit.... South Africa is known for both its gold production in the Witwatersrand region and for its dominance in the diamond industry provided by the kimberlite pipes in the eastern end of the Northern Cape Province. But the resource rich country has more than gold and diamonds. The four stamps issued in 1984 highlighted the role South Africa plays in the world’s production of manganese, chromium, vanadium, and titanium."