Lot# 9048

aerogramme sent from Peking to Moscow, franked with two R series issues, totaling 5,800 yuan (RMB), showing a 100-yuan overpayment over the required 5,700-yuan aerogramme rate, canceled by “Peking 1951.4.11” cds and “Moscow 23.4.51” arrival on reverse, showing a total transit time of 12 days, an impressively efficient airmail service for the early PRC period. As the newly founded People’s Republic of China had not yet issued its own official aerogrammes, the postal administration temporarily reused pre-1949 aerogramme stationery originally issued by the Ministry of Communications Postal Administration (交通部郵政總局發行). On these forms, the printed characters “交通” (Communications) were handstamped in red with “郵電” (Post & Telecommunication), creating a provisional “Post & Telecommunication” aerogramme. This was an interim postal stationery type used during the transitional phase of China’s early postal system, bearing significant historical value. Posted during the Sixth Postal Tariff Period under the unified RMB postal system (1 November 1950 - 30 April 1953), the aerogramme rate was uniformly set at 5,700 yuan for all destinations. Although slightly overpaid, the franking was reasonable and fully in line with regulations. The routing was clear and efficient, representing an authentic example of official postal correspondence between China and the Soviet Union during the formative years of the PRC. A rare and important example of an early PRC provisional “Post & Telecommunication” aerogramme, created from repurposed postal stationery of the former Ministry of Communications. Exceptionally well-preserved, with clear postal markings, it stands as a significant exhibit piece that documents the transitional evolution of China’s postal administration and early international airmail development.