Lot# 9041

franked with six 10 fen Dr. SYS Hwa Nan Print basic stamps and one 5 fen East Szechwan Silver Yuan stamp, all overprinted in black with “Chengtu,” tied by Chengtu cds. The total franking of 65 fen correctly pays the contemporaneous rate, comprising 5 fen domestic letter rate, 15 fen registration fee, 15 fen acknowledgment fee, 10 fen airmail fee, and 20 fen express fee. The “Chengtu” overprints represent the so-called “second overprint” (horizontal format) introduced in late November 1949 in the Chengtu area, implemented to prevent continued use of Silver Yuan stamps following the Communist takeover, and thus carrying clear historical and administrative significance. One of only three recorded covers bearing Szechwan local post office name overprints sent to Taiwan, and the very example illustrated in Patrick Choy, China Silver Yuan Stamps (3rd Edition), page 194, Figure 5-23. A highly important item demonstrating the late-stage Silver Yuan postal system, the overprint practice, and cross-strait mail operations, with significant postal history and exhibition value.