Lot# 9052

franked with two 10 fen Shensi airmail unit stamps and one 5 fen East Szechwan Silver Yuan stamp, paying a total of 25 fen, tied by Nancheng cds, and arriving Chungking on Oct 30, 1949. The franking correctly pays the double weight registered airmail rate of 25 fen for the period Aug 1 to Dec 6, 1949. Following the invalidation of the Gold Yuan in Aug 1949, restrictions on the use of stamps by postal district or local post office were no longer strictly enforced. On Sep 7, 1949, the Nationalist government relocated its capital to Chungking, making East Szechwan the location of the Directorate General of Posts (DGP). In the absence of sufficient central issues, East Szechwan Silver Yuan stamps were occasionally distributed and used in other postal districts. The East Szechwan Silver Yuan stamp on this cover represents such cross-district circulation, being used in Nancheng, Shensi, and illustrating the practical realities of stamp supply and postal administration during the transitional Silver Yuan period. Combining cross-district usage with a clearly documented inter-provincial airmail route (Nancheng - Chungking), this cover is, according to current records, the only example recorded, and is of considerable importance for the study of late Silver Yuan postal operations, stamp distribution, and systemic transition, with significant postal history and exhibition value.Accompanied by a 1998 the Royal Philatelic Society, London certificate.