2018-10-03 Wed

The first commemorative stamp of French Andorra appeared in 1962. From this point onward, most of the French stamps of Andorra were now issued for commemorations or special events.

Andorra the sixth-smallest nation in Europe is bordered by France and Spain. Andorra is a parliamentary co-principality with the President of France and the Catholic Bishop of Urgell. Postal services in Andorra are unique in that they are not operated by the country itself, but by its two larger neighbouring countries, Spain and France.

Both postal administrations issue their own postage stamps for use in Andorra featuring unique designs. The French Andorra Stamps were in circulation since 1931 with the overprints "ANDORRE".

Issued on 29th September 1962, first commemorative stamp of French Andorra was issued to celebrate the first live television transmission between the US and Europe via the Telstar Satellite. This 50C denominated stamp features the Telstar Satellite orbiting the Earth.

The Telstar Satellite, built by Bell Labs, was launched from Cape Canaveral, Florida on July 10, 1962. It transmitted the first television pictures, telephone calls, and faxes between the US and Europe. Though it was taken out-of-service in February 1963, the satellite continues to orbit the Earth to this day!

Image Courtesy: https://colnect.com