Lot# 9047

registered airmail cover sent from Shanghai to Rotterdam, endorsed “Via Hongkong”, franked with four R series issues, totaling 50,200 yuan (RMB), tied by “Shanghai 53.4.23” cds, bearing red registration label “No. 891”, “Canton 53.4.28” and “Hong Kong 29.AP.53” transits on reverse. The cover was routed via Hong Kong, then through Calcutta on its way to Western Europe, and was carried aboard the British Overseas Airways Corporation (B.O.A.C.) “Comet” jetliner, which crashed near Calcutta on 2 May 1953. Recovered mail was officially salvaged by the Calcutta Post Office, which applied the violet cachet “SALVAGED MAIL / 'Comet' Crash near Calcutta / 2nd MAY 1953” before forwarding to its destination.
The postage was correctly paid under the Sixth Postal Tariff Period of the RMB postal system (1 November 1950 - 30 April 1953): 2,500 yuan for the first 20g international surface letter rate, 1,500 yuan for the next 20g, air surcharge to Western Europe via Hong Kong at 10,500 yuan per 10g × 4 = 42,000 yuan, plus 4,200 yuan registration fee, totaling 50,200 yuan. This cover represents an extraordinarily rare postal and aviation history artifact, being one of only a few recorded Chinese-origin covers salvaged from the 1953 B.O.A.C. “Comet” air disaster, the world’s first commercial jet airliner crash. Posted just days before the end of the Sixth Postal Tariff Period, the cover features precise franking and a well-documented route. It stands as an important exhibition-quality item, offering exceptional insight into the early years of the People’s Republic of China’s international airmail service and its intersection with world aviation history.