Lot# 9076

bearing a “Sui (3)” postage meter label of 25 li (i.e. 2½ fen), printed on paper without the “中華郵政” background, tied by Tsamkong cds, and arriving Shanghai on Oct 6, 1949 after a prolonged transit. The franking correctly pays the printed matter rate of 2½ fen effective from Aug 1, 1949. As franking machines could not produce a ½ fen denomination, the amount was made up using “li” units (1/10 fen), with the 25 li impression representing a practical solution under this rate structure. The transit time of over one month indicates significant delay, likely associated with disrupted postal routes and administrative transitions during the 1949 change of control between Nationalist and Communist authorities, as well as unstable transport conditions and the lower priority accorded to printed matter. This cover represents a late usage of Silver Yuan postage meter labels on unwatermarked paper and is an important cross-administration usage. According to records, only one such example is known, making it unique. With clear despatch and arrival markings, it vividly illustrates the interaction of postal rate changes, technical limitations of franking machines, and post-war postal operations, and is of considerable postal history and exhibition value.