ATMs - Variable value stamps from ANDORRA (Spanish Post)

Postal equipment

	Modernization of post offices. From July 1992 until November 1999 only the Main Post office in Andorra la Vella was equipped with different Epelsa franking balances for printing ATMs or variable value stamps. These balances were type ET-CB and issued ATMs with the 4-digits printing variety. (See also: Introduction. 1992-1996 / List of balances). The other post offices of the Principat made up frankings with traditional stamps or with long strips of ATMs, with basic face values, which were printed in the Main Post Office. On November 4, 1999, two EPELSA balances - type ET-CB were installed in the post offices of Escaldes-Engordany (number 0800) and St. Julià de Lòria (number 0859). Balance number 0800 came from the post office of Sort, in Lleida, and balance 0859 came from the Andorra la Vella main post office, where it had been in operation from September 1997, but due to technical problems, it entered service a week later than planned. In January 2000 another EPELSA balance of the same type (number 1609) was installed in the new post office at La Massana. In December 2000, this machine was transferred to the Post Office at Encamp and, in its place, another balance EPELSA ET-CB (number 1512) was installed. This latter one, for a short period around February 2001 only, was unusual in that it didn't print any machine number on the ATMs. A Mobba franking balance could be seen in 2001 in the Main Post Office, but was never in service.
Escaldes-Engordany. Franking balance Epelsa ET-CB
Andorra la Vella. ATM with the printing variety 4 digits. Balance 1002
Escaldes-Engordany. Adjust label of the 1st day in service. Balance 0800
Balance 0859. Adjust label issued in September 1997

	A new printing variety. Within this delayed process of modernization of offices, and also during the month of January 2000, two new balances EPELSA ET-RL(IRIS) were installed in the Main Post Office of Andorra la Vella producing the variety 5 digits small (numbers 5466 and 6075). The new franking balances were linked to the new computer system for mail processing called IRIS, that already had entered service progressively at the end of 1999 in the Spanish post offices. These two machines replaced only one of the two old EPELSA Model ET-CB that were at the main counter, whereas the other (number 1002) remained in use for several more months (at least until March 2000) for the printing of ATM strips. Finally it was retired with the installation of two new EPELSA ET-RL(IRIS) balances, also with the variety 5 digits small (numbers 6086 and 6647). From March 2000 there are 4 franking balances installed in the Main Post Office of Andorra la Vella. A fifth balance with number 3921 also exists, originally assigned to the post office of Cervera (Lleida). This balance was in service at different periods as a standby in case of failure or maintenance of any of the other 4 balances. The periods in service can be seen in the post office's list. Registered shipments from post offices of Andorra did not include a control label; only those franking balances linked to the Iris system issued this type of postal labels. The control labels can be found only in the registered shipments posted from the Main Post Office of Andorra la Vella between January 2000 and April 2002. Andorra is prepared for the Euro. Just as in all the Spanish post offices, the 4 franking balances EPELSA ET-RL(IRIS) in operation in the Main post office of Andorra la Vella, were pre-adjusted during the Summer of 2001 in anticipation of the Euro. This preparation, already dealt with on this website for the franking balances in Spanish post offices (see study), caused the appearance of a new printing variety, because all the balances printing 5 digits narrow or small, changed for a few months to 6 digits narrow or small.
Andorra la Vella. Postal counter with the computer system and the franking balance Epelsa ET-RL
Andorra la Vella. ATM with the variety 5 digits small. Balance 6647
Andorra la Vella. Adjust label - Balance 6647
Andorra la Vella. Control label of a registered shipment with destination Spain - Balance 6647
Andorra la Vella. Control label of an international registered shipment - Balance 6075
Andorra la Vella. ATM with the variety 6 digits small. Balance 6086

Registered cover franked with an ATM with face value in EUR, issued by the franking balance 6647 on December 28th, 2001, and circulated to Spain. The letter includes also 2 different control labels; from Andorra post office and from Spanish posts. The first cover circulated in EUR know at the moment.

	The EURO arrives in Andorra. The 4 balances EPELSA ET-RL(IRIS) in use in Andorra la Vella main post office, were all connected to the postal computer system, IRIS, from the Spanish posts, and started to issue ATMs in EUROS at the end of December 2001 (the first known date is December 28th.). The rest of the franking balances used in the other post offices, all of type EPELSA ET-CB (4 digits), should have been taken out of service on December 31st, 2001 with the arrival of the EURO.  In January 2002 their replacement with a new franking balance model EPELSA ET-RL/T, was not completed and some "old" balances ET-CB remained in service, issuing ATMs with values in Pesetas (!!). In addition to the Main Post Office of Andorra la Vella, there are 4 more post offices in Andorra equipped with franking balances Epelsa model ET-RL/T: Escaldes-Engordany, Sant Julià de Lòria, La Massana and Encamp. (See also the list of post offices and balances). The installation of the vending machine Epelsa LF. In December 2004 a new ATM vending machine Epelsa LF 1100 was installed in the hall of the Main Post Office of Andorra la Vella. The machine did not enter in service until April-May 2005. The ATMs issued by this vending machine can be recognized by the number printed on the ATMs (10039) and by the smaller height of the face value figures. (Read article. The new ATM vending machine Epelsa LF in Andorra).
Andorra la Vella. ATM with face value in EUROS. Variety 5 digits small. Balance 6075
Andorra la Vella. Adjust label - January 16th, 2002. Balance 6647
Encamp. Adjust label - January 17th, 2002. Balance 0083
Andorra la Vella. ATM issued by the ATM vending machine Epelsa LF 1100