Lot# 9102

bearing a single Dr. SYS surcharged silver yuan stamp, tied by Kaipi T.P.O. cds (1949-05-15). The absence of a conventional originating post office datestamp indicates that the item was accepted directly by the travelling post office or handled in transit on the train. On reverse, a Kunming arrival cds dated 1949-05-16 confirms carriage via the railway and next-day delivery. This cover conforms to the special half-rate domestic tariff of 12 fen applicable in Yunnan during the early Silver Yuan period. At the time, railway transport was largely requisitioned for military purposes, and civilian mail handled by travelling post offices is distinctly scarce. Only five Silver Yuan train letters are recorded. The present example, with the T.P.O. marking serving as the sole principal postal handling evidence and accompanied by a clear arrival marking, provides a representative illustration of railway mail operations under wartime conditions, and is of significant postal history and exhibition importance for the study of post-war railway postal systems in Yunnan.