Nepal
Registered Aerogramme - Philatelic or did it Contain an Enclosure?

This aerogramme (Wiegand no. 2/I) was sent registered from Kathmandu to New York, U.S. (arrival cds SEP 4, 1959).

The aerogramme rate to the U.S. was 1.40 R, the registration fee 0.40 R for a total postage of 1.80 R, which was paid by the pre-paid 8 paisa (= 0.08 R) aerogramme plus a 1 R and a 50 paisa (= 0.50 R) stamp on the front panel as well as a 2 paisa (= 0.02 R) and a 20 paisa (= 0.20 R) stamp on the back panel.

The aerogramme contains no message. So, at first glance it looks philatelic. A point against is the endorsement under the aerogrammes indicium. It reads "R 23 / 30 g" and seems to be an indication of weight. The weight of the aerogramme itself is only 2 g. 

Maybe, the aerogramme contained an enclosure, which would have been against the UPU rules for aerogrammes. Interestingly. there is no admonition pertaining to enclosures on the early aerogrammes of Nepal.

If the item would have been sent as an air mail letter, the correct postage would have been more than 2.78 R, which was the airmail rate to the U.S. for the first weight step (up to 1/2 oz).

What do you think - philatelic or sent with enclosure to save postage?


References
Wiegand stands for Wiegand, Katalog der Aerogramme von Asien, 2000