Issue date: 05 Oct, 2012
This year’s edition of the National Philatelic Exhibition EXFILNA 2012 is held in the town of Calahorra (La Rioja) and marks the 50th anniversary of its foundation. The exhibition is organized by the Spanish Federation of Philatelic Societies (FESOFI) and is sponsored by the grupo Correos.
EXFILNA is the largest national philatelic exhibition of all those held in Spain. The first edition took place in Madrid in 1963 and since then, for 50 years, it has taken place annually in different towns all over Spain. It is a competitive exhibition open to the participation of collectors members of any philatelic group registered within FESOFI.
The exhibition includes different sections: The Official Class, merely for exhibition purposes, is reserved for the Spanish and French Posts, Postal Museums, stamps printers and jurors. Master Class, for collections that have three gold medals which compete with each other and Competition Class intended for other participants divided into topics: Traditional Philately, Postal History, Thematic Philately, Astrophilately and Postal Stationery among other thematic specialities.
In 1985 Correos began to issue annually a souvenir sheet commemorating EXFILNA which on this occasion is dedicated to the historic city of Calahorra.
Calahorra is located in the Rioja Baja region. It was conquered by the Romans in the 2nd century B.C. and the archaeological remains prove that it once had a circus, amphitheatre and baths. In 1935 a white marble bust of the Lady of Calahorra was found in the archaeological site and was soon to become a symbol of the city. The bust has been subject to different interpretations and some experts believe that it is a male head belonging to a young deity, hero or figure of Adonis. It is 21 centimetres high, has a serene expression, a straight nose and large eyes. The head is "removable" with an inverted neck that can be fixed into another body. The piece is exhibited in the Museo de la Romanización.
The souvenir sheet features the main façade of the Town Hall and the stamp depicts an image of the Lady of Calahorra.
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.