In 2008, Romania will celebrate 150 years since the first postage stamp issue, the famous „Bull Head”. Occasioned by the event, Romania will host the first World Philatelic Exhibition under the name of EFIRO 2008. In order to promote this major philatelic event among the inhabitants, Romfilatelia, the company specialized in editing and trading Romanian postage stamps, will introduce this year into circulation a new philatelic issue, World Philatelic Exhibition EFIRO 2008 (II).
The first EFIRO exhibition (E-Exhibition FI-Philatelic RO-Romanian), enjoying international participation, took place in 1932, under the high patronage of King Carol II. The next two were hosted by the Palace of Parliament in 1998 and 2004.
In 2008, the Romexpo Complex, the place where the World Philatelic Exhibition EFIRO 2008 will take place, will exhibit stamps belonging to the famous stamp collections of Queen Elisabeth of Great Britain and Prince Albert of Monaco. Moreover, another philatelic rare occurrence, namely a letter from the Second World War, that still shows evidence of radiation from bombing of Hiroshima, will be exhibited. The letter was brought to light while clearing the ruins of one Hiroshima bank located approximately two kilometers away from explosion epicenter. The letter does not show external damage but it has suffered irradiation. Out of security reasons, the letter was placed in a lead cuff and covered in armored glass and this is how it will be exhibited within EFIRO 2008.
In a "stamp on stamp" manner, the philatelic issue is made up of three stamps with the face value of Lei 1.10, Lei 2.10, and Lei 3.30, reproducing the stamps of the second issue ”Bull Head” (November 1st, 1858 - May 1st, 1862), with face values of 5, 40 and 80 ”parale”.
The stamp sheets are completed by 8 labels that reproduce images of coins issued under former Moldavian rulers (Petru I Musat, Stefan al II-lea, Stefan cel Mare (Stephen the Great), Stefan al IV-lea, Alexandru cel Bun, Bogdan al II-lea, Bogdan al III-lea and Ieremia Movila), between the 14th and the 16th centuries.
The stamp of the souvenir sheet with a face value of Lei 5.60 reproduces the image of the Bull Head and of the post bugle on stamps issued in November 1858 next to which eight coins, also present on the label of the stamp paper, are exhibited. As a première in Romania, the postage stamp has a pitch (10 degrees) against the vertical of the souvenir sheet.
All exhibits of the issue bear the EFIRO 2008 logo.
