Postage Stamps of the United States - 1852

Politics

President
Millard Fillmore

Postmaster General:
1/1-8/30: Nathan K. Hall
8/31-12/31: Samuel D. Hubbard

Music

Click Control Above To Hear
1852 "A Little More Cider"

Postage Rates

Domestic Letter Rate under 3000 mi. per ½ oz.
Three Cents Not Prepaid: Five Cents 
Domestic Letter Rate over 3000 mi. per ½ oz.: Prepaid:Six Cents Not Prepaid: Ten Cents 
Foreign Letter Rate under 2500 mi. per ½ oz.: Ten Cents - except where otherwise adjusted by treaty 
Foreign Letter Rate over 2500 mi. per ½ oz.: Twenty Cents - except where otherwise adjusted by treaty
Rate for Drop Letters: One Cent - prepayment not required - no weight restriction 
Rate for Newspapers and Circulars up to 3 oz.: 1¢, 1¢ for each additional oz. 
prepayment required, rate did not change until 1863 

Stamps

1¢ Franklin

The following postage stamp varieties were first issued by the U.S. in 1852:

Ordinary issue - Imperforate
1¢ Blue Franklin Type IV (from Plate 1L only) - EDU: June 5, 1852
1¢ Blue Franklin Type IV - Printed on both sides with one side inverted
1¢ Blue Franklin Type II from Plate 1 Late (1L) - June 1852

The number issued of the 1852-1857 type IV imperforate stamps is not known. However, judging by the proportions of existing copies of the type IV to the other types of the one cent imperforate, the number issued of the type IV imperforate must have been greater than all of the other one cent imperforate types combined.

Commemoratives: The first Commemorative stamps were not issued until 1893
Special Delivery: The first Special Delivery stamps were not issued until 1885
Postage Dues: The first Postage Due Stamps were not issued until 1879