posted from Hokang on October 5, 1951, this cover was sent by airmail to Shinjuku, Tokyo, franked with five stamps, including two East China “50y on 10y” overprinted airmail stamps and three R series issues, for a total franking of ¥6,700 (Old RMB), paying the correct rate. The postage rate at that time consisted of ¥2,500 for the first 20g of international surface letter postage and ¥4,200 for the airmail surcharge to Asian destinations, totaling ¥6,700. The cover bears “Hokiang 51.10.5” cds and “Canton 51.10.12” transit on reverse. This cover was mailed during the 1st Postal Period under the Old RMB system (July 1, 1951 - April 30, 1953), which marked the first stable monetary phase after the nationwide unification of postal administration. According to postal regulations, all mail was required to be franked with stamps denominated in Old RMB, yet regional issues from former postal districts were still temporarily permitted for use until existing stock was depleted. The mixed use of East China overprinted stamps and PRC definitives on this cover serves as a representative example of postal transition during the early consolidation of the PRC’s unified postal and currency system. It illustrates how, even after the establishment of a national standard, regional issues remained in circulation as part of the practical realities of postal operation. Airmail correspondence to Japan from this period is particularly scarce, reflecting the postwar normalization of Sino-Japanese postal communication and the re-establishment of regular airmail services during a politically transitional era. With correctly paid postage, clear postal markings, and complete routing, this cover stands as an important postal history artifact that vividly documents the early PRC postal unification and Asian airmail system, of high research and exhibition value.

franked to the inclusive rate of 11,200 yuan (Old RMB), the cover was mailed from Harbin on 11 June 1953 and backstamped at Canton on 18 June, showing transit via South China before onward dispatch to San Francisco. The postage comprised 2,200 yuan for the first 20g of international surface postage and an airmail surcharge of 9,000 yuan per 10g to “Other Countries,” totaling 11,200 yuan. The cover demonstrates accurate franking and proper application of the revised international airmail rate, illustrating the continued normalization of China’s international postal system during the early 1950s. A scarce and well-preserved postal history example from Northeast China to the United States, with full and clear postal markings, representing an important transitional usage under the Old RMB system.

airmail cover sent on 13 April 1955 from Shenyang to Copenhagen, Denmark, franked with a total of 7,000 yuan in Old RMB Currency stamps x 5, tied by “Shenyang 55.4.13” cds, with “Canton 55.4.19” transit and Danish arrival markings. The postage paid corresponded to the inclusive rate for the route via Prague (2,000 yuan international surface rate plus 5,000 yuan air surcharge), but the letter was instead dispatched by the more expensive Hong Kong route, for which the correct rate was 10,200 yuan (2,200 + 8,000 yuan). As a result, the cover was short-paid by 3,200 yuan and treated as underfranked upon arrival, bearing a circular “T” postage due marking and a Danish “15 øre” due handstamp. This cover was mailed during the 8th Postal Tariff Period (1 January 1955 - 31 August 1956), when the nationwide international airmail rate to Western Europe via Hong Kong was set at 8,000 yuan per 10g, in addition to the 2,200 yuan international surface rate. The postage discrepancy arose because the sender calculated based on the cheaper rate via the Soviet/Prague route, unaware that mail from Manchuria was then often routed through Canton and Hong Kong. Such covers showing underpayment due to routing changes are rare and of great postal historical significance, illustrating both the transitional complexities of PRC international airmail operations and the cost differentials between the two routes to Europe.

representing genuine usages during the nationwide 8th Postal Tariff Period (1 January 1955 - 31 August 1956): the group provides a comprehensive illustration of the operational framework of the early PRC international airmail system. The selection includes a variety of formats, airmail letters, postcards, and registered covers, addressed to destinations across Western Europe, Eastern Europe, and Southeast Asia, routed either via Hong Kong or via Moscow. Each item is accurately franked with combinations of contemporary definitives: 13,400 yuan for a registered airmail letter to London, 10,200 yuan for mail via Moscow and Czechoslovakia, 6,100 yuan for an airmail postcard to Eastern Europe, 3,800 yuan for an airmail postcard to Singapore, and 7,000 yuan for a regular airmail cover to Northern Europe. All covers bear clear postal cancellations, registry labels, and “Par Avion” markings, effectively demonstrating the standardized differentiation of international airmail rates and routes under the 8th Postal Tariff Period. This well-preserved and cohesive group forms valuable postal evidence for studying the mid-1950s development of China’s international airmail service and postal rate reform.

these are representative examples illustrating the institutional development and rate adjustments of the early PRC international airmail system. The covers were addressed to destinations in Europe and Southeast Asia, all correctly rated according to the postal structure of “international surface postage plus airmail surcharge.” The group includes: a 1950 Shanghai–Singapore cover franked 9,000 yuan; a 1951 Shanghai–Switzerland cover via Prague franked 9,000 yuan; a 1953 Peking–East Germany postcard franked 6,700 yuan; a 1953 Peking–London cover franked 7,600 yuan; and an August 1955 Canton–Singapore cover franked 5,800 yuan. Together, the covers reflect the standardized operation of postal rates and international route divisions in the PRC’s airmail service during the early to mid-1950s, offering valuable material for postal history research and exhibition.