Issue date: 01 Oct, 2004
Valladolid has been chosen to host the 42nd National Philatelic Exhibition, EXFILNA 2004. As has become the custom, a special sheet carrying a commemorative stamp has been issued to coincide with the exhibition. The sheet shows a view of the Museo de la Ciencia (Science Museum), where EXFILNA is being held, while the stamp features the Columbus Monument, which stands in the Valladolid square that bears the great explorer's name.
The Science Museum, which can be found in the southwest of the city between the right-hand bank of the Pisuerga river and Avenida Salamanca, occupies the site of the former " La Rosa " flour factory and is housed in a building designed by architects Rafael Moneo and Enrique de Teresa, with contributions from Francisco Romero and Juan José Echevarria. The museum, which pursues strict principles of scientific, educational, aesthetic and historical research and which seeks to provide an environment for study, reflection and the promotion of science, has an entire hall of permanent exhibitions, a temporary exhibition hall, a planetarium and a "Children's Room", offering activities for younger visitors. The monument to Christopher Columbus was created by the sculptor Antonio Susillo and originally destined for Cuba, but this plan had to be changed after the island gained independence, and the statue was installed in Valladolid in 1905. Conceived in the form of a pyramid, it is divided into two parts: the upper section depicts Columbus on a boat and the allegory of Faith, while the lower section includes sculptures and reliefs alluding to the explorer's departure for America, his arrival and then his return to Granada. The wide range of collectable stamps issued during the course of previous EXFILNA exhibitions, a show regarded as one of the most important events in the Spanish philatelic calendar, is further enriched with the issue of this new sheet. De esta hoja se realizó una Prueba de Lujo .
Rate A - €0.75. For a “standard” letter or postcard within Spain, up to 20 g.
Rate A2 - €0.85. For a “standard” letter or postcard within Spain, between 20 g and 50 g.
Rate B - €1.65. For a “standard” Ordinary International letter or postcard addressed to Europe (including Greenland), up to 20 g.
Rate C - €1.75. For a “standard” Ordinary International letter or postcard addressed to the rest of the world (except USA, Canada, Japan, Australia and New Zealand), up to 20 g.
Rate D - €2.10. For a “standard” Ordinary International letter or postcard addressed to the USA, Canada, Japan, Australia and New Zealand, up to 20 g.