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Republic of China 1921 15 cents First Peking Printing airmail stamp, preserved as an unusual MNH positional multiple of five with substantial original sheet margins.
This is the lowest denomination of China\'s first airmail stamp issue, released on 1 July 1921 to coincide with the opening of the Peking–Shanghai aviation route. The Peking–Tsinan section was the first portion placed into operation, marking the beginning of regular Chinese postal airmail service.
The beautifully engraved design depicts an American-built Curtiss Jenny biplane flying above the Great Wall of China. The aircraft\'s rudder carries the five-colored flag of the early Republic of China. The design was created and engraved by William A. Grant, whose aviation imagery became one of the most recognizable designs of early Republican Chinese philately.
The stamps were recess/intaglio printed in Peking by the Printing Bureau of the Ministry of Finance in sheets of 25, arranged 5×5, and perforated 14.
Especially desirable here is the surviving upper sheet selvage, which retains part of the Chinese Bureau of Engraving and Printing Co. imprint together with the printed plate numeral 1 and numbered marking 5175. Positional multiples retaining printer imprints and marginal markings are considerably more collectible than ordinary singles.
Catalogue references:
Scott C1
Stanley Gibbons 352
Chan A1
Denomination: 15 Cents
Issue date: 1 July 1921
Issue: First Peking Printing Airmail
Subject: Curtiss Jenny over the Great Wall
Printing: Intaglio / Recess Engraved
Perforation: 14
Sheet format: 5×5
An impressive positional multiple from a landmark issue in both Chinese postal history and early aviation philately.
