The 2025 December Auction - Sale 346 (December 13 - December 16, 2025)
Sale 346
- (-) Remove The International Airmails of PRC (1949-1956) filter The International Airmails of PRC (1949-1956)
posted on 8 March 1956 from Harbin to San Francisco, this registered airmail cover was routed via Canton on 14 March and arrived on 18 March 1956, franked with six stamps in mixed old and new RMB currency, totaling 134 fen, correctly paying the rate for a 10g registered airmail letter to “Other Countries” during the 8th postal rate period (1 Jan 1955 - 31 Aug 1956). Among the adhesives is a 200 yuan old currency stamp (equivalent to 2 fen in new RMB), combined with new-currency issues totaling 132 fen, accurately meeting the required postage. At that time, the international surface letter rate for the first 20 grams was 22 fen, the airmail surcharge (per 10g to other countries) 80 fen, and the registration fee 32 fen, giving a total of 134 fen, fully in accordance with the prevailing standard. This cover clearly illustrates the transitional postal practice during the post–1955 currency reform period when both old and new RMB issues were concurrently valid. The routing “Harbin - Canton - San Francisco” is clearly shown, representing the typical airmail route from China to North America in the mid-1950s. Correctly franked and well-struck with clear postal markings, this is a scarce and well-preserved example of a mixed old/new RMB registered airmail cover of the 8th postal rate period, possessing significant value for postal history research and exhibition.
in early 1956, the Chinese People’s Post experimented with a concessionary airmail rate to USA via Prague, reducing the inclusive rate for a 10g airmail letter from 102 fen to 70 fen, applicable only to the eastern United States. The concession was discontinued from August 1956 due to misuse by senders addressing mail to the central and western USA. The first cover, posted on 14 July 1956 from Peking to New York, was correctly franked at 70 fen (22 fen for surface letter + 48 fen airmail surcharge per 10g) and routed via Prague, showing the short-lived concessionary rate. The second cover, dated 10 August 1956 from Peking via Canton (13 August b/s) and Hong Kong to New York, also franked at 70 fen and endorsed “via Prague,” had this routing deleted by the postal office and replaced with “via Hong Kong.” As the concession had been cancelled, the correct rate was 102 fen, resulting in a 32-fen shortfall, with an “80 centimes” postage due mark applied on arrival. Together, these covers vividly document the rise and termination of the 1956 Prague Route concession for airmail to USA, illustrating postal rate changes and route adjustments during the late 8th Postal Tariff Period, a significant case study in mid-1950s Sino-American postal relations and air transport history.
airmail sent from Changchow to Georgetown, Penang, franked with one definitive and one commemorative stamp (C13) totaling 5400 yuan, tied by Changchow 55.3.1 cds. It correctly paid the postage for a 10g airmail letter to Asia during the 8th postal rate period (1 Jan 1955 - 31 Aug 1956). At that time, the international surface letter rate for the first 20 grams was 2200 yuan, and the airmail surcharge to Asia was 3200 yuan per 10 grams, making a total of 5400 yuan. During this period, the airmail surcharge had been reduced from 3600 yuan to 3200 yuan per 10 grams, reflecting the adjustment under the RMB postal rate system. This cover is a standard example of a correctly rated airmail letter to Asia during the 8th postal rate period. It shows accurate franking and proper calculation, illustrating the mid-1950s postal reforms and the development of China’s airmail network to Asian destinations. Covers sent from Fukein during this period are particularly scarce, making this a valuable item for postal history study and exhibition.
during this period, the airmail surcharge rate to Eastern Europe was reduced from 5,400 yuan to 4,800 yuan (or 48 fen) per 10g, with the basic surface letter rate for the first 20g at 2,200 yuan (22 fen). The total postage for a 10g airmail letter to Eastern Europe thus became 7,000 yuan (70 fen in new RMB). The first cover, posted on 27 September 1955 from Peking to Jena, mixed with five old and new RMB Currency stamps, totaling 7,000 yuan, a fine example of mixed-currency franking during the transitional phase. The second, mailed on 13 October 1955 from Peking to Lauenhain, bears the same correct rate of 7,000 yuan, representing standard airmail postage to East Germany. Both covers illustrate the accurate application of the new East European airmail rate during the 8th Postal Tariff Period and reflect the smooth adjustment between old and new currency systems in mid-1950s China, making them significant examples for postal history study and exhibition.
this group of three covers illustrates actual postal rates and practices for airmail to Europe during the PRC’s 8th Postal Tariff Period. Implemented on 1 January 1955, this period marked a general reduction in postal charges. The 10g airmail rate to Western Europe via Prague was reduced from 5,400 yuan to 4,800 yuan, bringing the total inclusive rate (with surface postage) to 7,000 yuan, while international airmail postcards were charged at 6,100 yuan. The examples include a 1955 Tsingtao to London cover correctly franked at 7,000 yuan, a 1956 Shanghai to Vienna postcard paying the correct 6,100-yuan rate, and a 1956 Tatung to Dessau cover overfranked by 2 fen (total 72 fen) due to the sender, a foreign resident, using multiple commemorative stamps for decorative effect. Together, these items document the tariff adjustments, route usage, and everyday postal practice of China’s 8th Postal Tariff Period, reflecting the growing regularity and sophistication of international postal exchanges in the mid-1950s.
posted on 19 November 1955 by the China National Sundries Export Corporation, Tientsin Branch to London, this airmail cover was initially franked with two definitive stamps totaling 5,400 yuan, corresponding to the 10g airmail rate for Asian destinations during the 8th postal rate period (1 Jan 1955 - 1 Aug 1956). As the letter was incorrectly rated at the cheaper “Asia” rate, it was returned to sender for postage due. On the following day, 20 November, two additional stamps totaling 1,600 yuan were affixed as make-up postage, bringing the total to 7,000 yuan, which correctly paid the 10g airmail rate to Western Europe via the Moscow/Prague route. The cover bears Tientsin 55.11.19 and Tientsin 55.11.20 datestamps, clearly showing the sequence of its original posting and re-mailing after postage adjustment. This is a typical example of postal rate confusion between the “Asia” and “Europe” airmail tariffs, reflecting the operational nuances of postal administration during the early implementation of the PRC postal rate system in the mid-1950s. Returned and remailed covers with make-up franking are very scarce and of great importance for the study of postal accounting and rate structure of early PRC international airmail, possessing high philatelic and exhibition value.
the cover was sent from Chinese Aluminium Rolling Mills, Ltd. in Shanghai to Lausanne, bearing violet handstamps “單掛號” (“single registration”) and “經捷克轉” (“via Czechoslovakia”), franked with four stamps in mixed old and new currency totaling 102 fen (RMB), tied by Shanghai 56.2.18 cds and with Lausanne 24.2.56 arrival on reverse. It correctly paid the rate for registered airmail to Europe during the 8th postal rate period (1 Jan 1955 - 31 Aug 1956). At that time, the international registration fee had been reduced from 36 fen to 32 fen, in addition to the airmail letter rate of 70 fen, making a total of 102 fen. This cover shows accurate and fully paid postage, using mixed old- and new-currency issues that reflect the transitional practice after the 1955 currency reform, when both denominations remained concurrently valid. Routed via Czechoslovakia to Western Europe, the cover bears clear postal markings and complete franking. A textbook example of a registered airmail cover during the 8th postal rate period, of great significance for studying the PRC’s postal rate structure and international airmail routes, and an item of outstanding exhibition and collection value.
the cover was sent from Tientsin to London, franked with nine “R” series definitives totaling 9,800 yuan and one C32 20 fen commemorative, making a total postage of 11,800 yuan (RMB). The 20 fen stamp equaled 2,000 yuan in old currency, reflecting the mixed use of old and new denominations following the 1955 currency reform. Tied by a clear “Tientsin 55.12.13” cds, the cover was carried via the Soviet Union and Prague to London. It was posted during the 8th postal rate period (1 Jan 1955 - 31 Aug 1956), after the adjustment of airmail surcharges under the Renminbi system. At that time, the surface letter rate for the first 20 grams was 2,200 yuan, with an airmail surcharge of 4,800 yuan per 10 grams. For a letter weighing about 20 grams, the correct total postage was 11,800 yuan (2,200 + 9,600), showing accurate calculation and full payment. The coexistence of old- and new-currency issues vividly illustrates the transitional practice in early 1955, when earlier stamps remained valid and were converted at the new currency value after the monetary reform. As one of North China’s major postal hubs, Tientsin efficiently implemented the updated postal and currency standards for international dispatch. A textbook example of a correctly paid airmail cover to Western Europe during the 8th postal rate period, routed via the Soviet Union and Prague. Its mixed old/new currency franking and crisp postal markings make it an important and scarce item of postal history, highly significant for studying the PRC’s 1950s postal rate reforms and international airmail operations.
this pair of covers illustrates international airmail correspondence from China to Europe during the 8th Postal Tariff Period, showing the standard rates in the final phase of the pre-decimal currency system. Implemented on 1 January 1955, the inclusive rate for a 10g airmail letter to Western Europe via Hong Kong was 102 fen, comprising 22 fen for the first 20g of surface postage and 80 fen for the 10g airmail surcharge. The first cover, posted 15 August 1956 from Canton to Stockholm, is correctly franked at 102 fen and routed via Hong Kong. The second, a registered airmail with advice of receipt sent 6 August 1956 from Shanghai to Geneva, is an exceptionally scarce example franked 156 fen (22 fen letter postage + 80 fen airmail + 32 fen registration + 24 fen advice of receipt). Both demonstrate the precision of postal accounting and the structured use of Hong Kong as the primary international dispatch point, making them important and representative postal artifacts of the 8th Postal Tariff Period.
during this postal period, reductions were made to the airmail rates for international correspondence, including letters, postcards, printed matter, and samples. The rate for international aerogrammes was standardised at 4,600 yuan (or 46 fen in new RMB) per item, regardless of destination or route. The first example, posted on 13 December 1955 from Hankow to Leningrad, was correctly franked with three stamps, totaling 4,600 yuan in old RMB, bearing a 24 December 1955 arrival marking, a correct-rate aerogramme in the pre-reform currency. The second, mailed on 4 June 1956 from Chumkong, Kwangtung to Moscow, was correctly franked with four stamps, totaling 46 fen in new RMB, routed via Canton on 6 June and delivered in Moscow on 15 June. Both covers accurately represent the standard aerogramme rate to the Soviet Union during the 8th Postal Tariff Period, demonstrating the smooth postal transition between the old and new RMB systems and reflecting the close Sino-Soviet postal exchanges of the 1950s. These are significant examples for the study of early PRC international aerogramme practices.
this group of four covers and aerogrammes exemplifies the major postal reform that took effect on 1 September 1956, marking the beginning of China’s 9th Postal Tariff Period. The reform abolished all distinctions in airmail surcharges by destination or route, introducing a single global airmail rate of 30 fen per 10g, while the surface rate for the first 20g remained 22 fen. The resulting inclusive rate was 52 fen for a 10g airmail letter and 43 fen for an airmail postcard, while aerogrammes were standardized worldwide at 35 fen, the lowest international rate ever introduced by China. These items illustrate the application of this new unified system across multiple destinations. Among them is a 1 September 1956 Shanghai to Stockholm airmail cover, a first-day usage showing the sender’s habitual “Via Prague” routing mark, now obsolete under the new system; a 10 September 1956 Shanghai to Czechoslovakia postcard correctly franked at 43 fen; and two 1957 Beijing aerogrammes sent respectively to Indonesia and the United States (Florida), both bearing the correct 35 fen franking. Collectively, these pieces document China’s transition toward a fully standardized global airmail structure, representing a milestone in the modernization and international integration of the Chinese postal system in the mid-1950s.
two international airmail covers from Northeast China, both rated in Northeast Liberated Area currency, posted during the 1st Postal Rate Period (8 Mar - 19 Aug 1950). They respectively demonstrate correct and slightly overpaid applications of the postal tariff, reflecting the international postal system in operation under the early PRC administration in Northeast China. The first cover, dated 10 June 1950, was sent from Harbin to San Rafael, California, USA, franked with six stamps totaling 148,000 yuan, correctly paying the postage for a 10g airmail letter to “Other Countries”, which comprised 29,000 yuan for the first 20g surface letter rate and 119,000 yuan for the airmail surcharge per 10g. The second cover, dated 12 June 1950, was mailed from Moukden to Boissy-St. Léger, France, franked with three stamps totaling 150,000 yuan, an overpayment of 2,000 yuan above the correct 148,000-yuan rate. The cover was routed via Hong Kong, and it is believed to have been forwarded to Europe by Air France. These two covers vividly illustrate the postal rate practice and international airmail operations under the Northeast regional currency system, marking the transitional stage in which China’s postal administration shifted from local monetary zones to a unified national system. Both are rare and valuable examples of international airmail to Europe and America during the 1st postal rate period, of significant importance for postal history research and exhibition.