Lot# 9050

this cover was sent from Canton on 11 January 1954, routed via Hong Kong (12 January) and Rome (14 January) to London, where it was delivered on 2 February 1954. The sender was the China National Import & Export Corporation, Canton Branch, and the letter was carried on Philippine Air Lines flight PR501 (Manila - Rome - London), which crashed near Rome on 14 January 1954. The surviving fragment of the original envelope shows severe water and smoke damage, bearing a recovery cachet applied by the Rome Post Office, together with the violet two-line “DAMAGED IN / P.A.L. AIRCRAFT” handstamp added by the London Post Office. In accordance with British postal procedures for handling seriously damaged foreign mail, the recovered item was enclosed in an official “On Her Majesty’s Service” envelope and forwarded to the addressee free of charge. The outer envelope bears a London receiving datestamp dated 2 February 1954, consistent with the known delivery date of PAL crash mail in the United Kingdom. Even more remarkable, this lot includes the original enclosed business letter, written by the China National Import & Export Corporation, Canton Branch to a British client. The letter itself bears evident traces of water and smoke damage and a clear strike of the company’s circular handstamp, representing a rare surviving internal document from this crash mail. A highly important and rare crash-salvaged airmail item, preserved with its original contents and officially processed by both Rome and London postal authorities, this cover fully documents the recovery and re-forwarding procedures following the 1954 Philippine Air Lines crash at Rome. It stands as a key exhibit piece in the study of early PRC international airmail postal history, combining historical significance with outstanding exhibition and research value. Note: Philippine Air Lines Flight PR294 (aircraft reg. PI-C-294) is also recorded as PR501 in European postal documents; both designations refer to the same DC-6 aircraft involved in the Rome crash of 14 January 1954.