1964 Andorra, French

Issued July 25, 1964, this 25-centime plus 10-centime Red Cross semi-postal is the first and only charity stamp ever issued by French Andorra — a distinction that gives it a singular place in the philatelic history of one of Europe's smallest and most unusual nations. The design, engraved by Durrens, depicts a polychrome Romanesque statue of the Virgin and Child set against the bell tower of the Church of Santa Coloma, one of Andorra's oldest and most venerated religious sites. The Red Cross emblem at the bottom identifies the beneficiary of the surcharge.

Andorra's political status is unlike any other country in the world. It is a co-principality governed jointly by two co-princes — the Bishop of Urgell in Spain and the President of France — a constitutional arrangement that dates to a treaty signed in 1278 and has remained in place ever since. As a result, Andorra issues two separate sets of stamps, one administered by France and one by Spain, each valid for postage within the country. This stamp belongs to the French administration series, printed in Paris under French postal authority. The Church of Santa Coloma, shown in the stamp's background, is believed to date to the 9th or 10th century and is considered one of the finest examples of Romanesque architecture in the Pyrenees.