There are several known very rare Maximum cards made before 1900. They were made by postcard collectors to enhance their postcards. Because early Maximaphilists were postcard collectors rather than philatelists!

A popular hobby was to exchange cards through t he post. And, before the 1934 UPU (Universal Postal Union) Congress of Cairo recommendations on the stamping of Picture Postcards, the cards were often stamped and serviced on the picture side with "TVC" written on the address side: "Timbre Cote Vue", roughly meaning "Stamp on view side".

The French, in particular, fostered this hobby. However the TVC card usually only had the card and the postmark in concord, because most stamps were definitive, non-pictorial. So, possibly, cards made with the three elements - Card - Stamp and Postmark in Concordance were made deliberately.

Some of the early recognised deliberate Maxicards were - done in early 1900's in Egypt with cards and stamps depicting the Pyramids, postmarked in Cairo .

The name "MAXIMUM" was first recorded in a Belgium Philatelic Magazine "Le Libre Exchange" in 1932. A Mr Lecestre wrote how he took a postcard of the Arc de Triompe, affixed French 2c stamp of the Arc, and postmarked it at a Post office near the Arc. This he said was a "Carte Maximum.

In 1945 the first organised group of Collectors formed in France , followed soon by bodies in a dozen other European Countries.

The first US organisation was formed in 1950. This was an International Organisation with membership from many countries including Australia .

France held the first International Congress of Maximaphily In 1947.

Maximaphily was recognised by the F.I.P. (International Federation of Philately) in 1978, but there have been many delays in updating the guidelines and many collectors still don't understand the true definitions. And it is only in the last few years that Australia has included Maximaphily as a class in Philatelic Exhibitions.