Correos has issued a new Spanish stamp for FILATEM 2026, the National Thematic Philately Exhibition being held in A Guarda, Pontevedra. Released on 8 October 2026, the €2.65 stamp reproduces the town’s historic Praza do Reló, or Plaza del Reloj, and connects one of A Guarda’s most recognisable civic spaces with an exhibition devoted to building stories through stamps and other postal material. The choice of subject gives the issue two complementary themes: it commemorates a national philatelic gathering while also presenting a compact architectural and social portrait of its host town.

The stamp is a vertically oriented perforated design measuring 28.8 by 40.9 millimetres. Correos printed it by offset on coated, gummed and phosphorescent paper in sheets of twenty-five, with a total print run of 65,000. The €2.65 face value makes it a working postage stamp as well as an exhibition souvenir. The design carries the FILATEM 2026 identity above a photographic view of the square and its clock tower, with the Spain and Correos inscriptions arranged at the lower edge. Collectors examining mint examples should therefore expect a conventional gummed stamp rather than a self-adhesive label or miniature sheet.

Praza do Reló has long functioned as a centre of everyday life in A Guarda. Markets, neighbourhood gatherings, public celebrations and municipal events have all taken place there, making the square a fitting emblem for a national exhibition that depends on clubs, collectors and shared knowledge. Its defining feature is the clock tower. Correos traces the building’s roots to the sixteenth century and notes that it was rebuilt in the eighteenth. The surrounding architecture and the square’s continuing administrative and commercial role preserve a visible link between the maritime town’s history and its present civic identity.

FILATEM is devoted to thematic philately, a collecting method that organises stamps and postal evidence around a subject or narrative instead of limiting a collection to one country or chronological run. A competitive thematic exhibit may bring together stamps, covers, postal stationery, cancellations, proofs and other admissible material to explain a chosen topic. The arrangement must do more than display attractive objects: it needs a logical plan, accurate philatelic knowledge and a coherent story supported by the material. Correos describes the discipline as one of the most creative forms of organised philately and places its growth within the much wider range of subjects appearing on twentieth-century postage stamps.

A Guarda’s selection as host also recognises the work of the Sociedad Filatélica y Numismática Guardesa. Founded in 1964, the society has maintained a sustained programme of collecting activity and developed a strong association with thematic exhibiting. Its members’ participation and results in national competitions helped establish the town as a recognised centre for the discipline. The new stamp consequently honours more than the exhibition dates: it acknowledges the local organisation that has kept philately visible through meetings, research, displays and competition for more than six decades.

The exhibition programme runs in A Guarda through 12 October, giving visitors several days to see thematic collections and connect the new issue with the environment shown on the stamp. Contemporary reports from the launch state that 65,000 examples were produced and describe the design as a tribute to the Praza do Reló. For collectors attending in person, material acquired at the exhibition may gain additional documentary value when paired with an event cancellation, cachet, postal receipt or other clearly dated evidence of its use during FILATEM.