China 1931 - Pioneers : Rare Eurasia Aviation C

An exceptional, museum-quality First Flight Cover (FFC) representing a crucial milestone in 20th-century aerophilately. This historical envelope documents the opening of the Asia-Europe Air Mail Service by the pioneer Eurasia Aviation Corporation (a historic joint venture between the Chinese Government and the German Lufthansa). Mailed from Shanghai in late May 1931, this cover traveled along the legendary and short-lived Northern Route via Manchuria and Siberia, arriving at Berlin's central airport before being forwarded to its final destination in France. Postal & Franking Details • Left Stamp: Republic of China 60 Cents blue Air Mail stamp depicting a Junkers airplane over the Great Wall of China. • Right Stamp: Republic of China 20 Cents maroon Junkers/Jingishan definitive stamp with a local overprint. • Cancellations: Both stamps are tied by clear, authentic Shanghai circular postmarks. • Markings: Features the official bi-lingual "Air Mail / PAR AVION" cachet and hand-written routing instructions: "Par avion by the Shanghai-Manchouli / via Siberia". The front is enriched by a striking golden/yellow commemorative flight cachet: "IN COMMEMORATION OF FIRST FLIGHT ASIA-EUROPE AIR-MAIL SERVICE" in English and Chinese, topped with the Nationalist Chinese flags. • Expert Mark: The front right corner bears an old pencil expert Peter Holcombe: A highly renowned independent international expert, active for decades and specializing specifically in European and Asian rarities and airmail. His slender, elegant pencil mark appears on a great many important aerograms from the period. Backstamps & Transit Analysis (The Proof of the Journey) The reverse of the envelope is as spectacular as the front, featuring: • Berlin Arrival Postmarks: Two perfectly crisp, identical circular datestamps reading "BERLIN CENTRALFLUGHAFEN - 11.6.31. 19-20" (June 11, 1931, at 7:20 PM). This proves the mail successfully landed at the famous Tempelhof Airport, recording a phenomenal transit time of roughly 11 days from China to Germany. • Eurasia Embossed Seal: Features the highly sought-after, authentic circular embossed dry seal (timbro a secco) of the "Eurasia Aviation Corporation - Shanghai" perfectly struck in the center of the flap. Addressee & Provenance • Sender: Dispatched by N.Z. Zai from 3 Rue Montauban, Shanghai (located within the historical French Concession). • Addressee: Sent to Monsieur Charles D. Liu in Strasbourg, France, making it a scarce commercial destination for this inaugural flight. Condition & Rarity In excellent, crisp condition for a flown aerogram of this age. The Eurasia Trans-Siberian route was suspended shortly after due to intense geopolitical tensions and the shooting down of a Eurasia aircraft in Mongolia later that year. Genuine covers from this exact May/June 1931 inaugural window—especially those featuring the pristine embossed company seal on the reverse—are extremely rare and highly prized by worldwide collectors. An outstanding centerpiece for any advanced collection of China, Lufthansa, or pioneer World Airmails. I don't combine shippings Following a recent change in international sector regulations, specifically Articles 18 and 19 of the Universal Postal Convention, starting from January 1, 2026, it will no longer be possible to send items (goods with or without commercial value) using International Registered and International Insured services, which will continue to be used exclusively for sending documents. It means that starting from January 1st, 2026, I will ship abroad only by "POSTE DELIVERY INTERNATIONAL STANDARD" starting from 25,80€ without insurance

Utropspris:SEK 22.4

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