Lot# 9009

airmail cover sent from Namlong, Kwangtung to Oakland, California on 10 February 1950, the first day of the 2nd Postal Tariff Period, franked with 13 South China Liberation Area surcharged stamps, totaling 10,800 yuan (RMB), tied by “Namlong 50.2.10” cds and “Canton 50.2.12” transit on reverse. The cover was routed via Canton and Hong Kong, then forwarded to the United States by Pan American Airways (PAA) trans-Pacific service. According to the new postal regulations effective 10 February 1950, the correct postage for airmail to “Other Countries” (non-Asian destinations) should have been 11,800 yuan, consisting of 2,300 yuan for the first 20 grams international surface letter rate and 9,500 yuan for the airmail surcharge per 10 grams. However, this cover was still franked at the old 1st period rate (1,800 + 9,000 = 10,800 yuan), indicating that Namlong, as a third-class post office, had not yet received official notice of the new tariff and thus continued to accept mail at the earlier rate. This cover represents a transitional-rate usage on the first day of the 2nd Postal Tariff Period, vividly reflecting the delayed communication and practical challenges faced by lower-level postal offices during the early implementation of the unified RMB postal system. The misrated but properly carried usage captures a moment of postal reform in transition, an exceptionally rare and historically significant example that provides valuable insight into early People’s Republic postal administration and is of the highest philatelic and exhibition importance.