T Pin Box, Cushman & Denison, patented 1902 & 1904 By contrast, early paper clip advertisements do not refer to staples. In 1904, Clinch Clips were advertised as "Cheaper than Pins." Around 1910 advertisements compare paper clips to straight pins for temporary attachment of papers. With what products did paper clips compete most closely? The two earliest patents indicate that bent-wire paper clips could be used in lieu of pins, sewing, "pointed bent-over paper fasteners," and eyelets. Why weren't bent-wire paper clips marketed earlier? According to Petroski, "Steel wire was still new in the second half of the nineteenth century.he widespread manufacture and use of the paper clip had to await not only the availability of the right wire but also the existence of machinery capable of tirelessly and reliably bending it in a flash into things that could be bought for pennies a box." (Henry Petroski, "From Pins to Paper Clips," The Evolution of Useful Things, Vintage, New York, 1992, p. 173) This evidence indicates that paper clips came into widespread use in U.S. A 1900 trade publication stated that "The wire clip for holding office papers together has entirely superseded the use of the pin in all up-to-date offices." ( Business, March 1900, p. A flood of paper clip patents were issued beginning in 1897. When did paper clips come into widespread use in offices? A patent application filed at the end of 1896 indicated that a number of different paper clips were in use. They were not paper clips.Īdvertisement for Gem Paper Fasteners, Britain, 1881 However, the Early Office Museum has found an 1881 publication with an illustration that shows that Tower's Gem Paper Fasteners were staples with legs that were bent toward each other after they were manually inserted through slits cut in papers. This speculation is based at least in part on references to "Gem Paper Fasteners" in publications dating from 18 these publications did not contain either illustrations or verbal descriptions of these fasteners. Speculation that the Gem paper clip originated in Britain by the early 1880s is incorrect. And in a 1922 advertisement for the Gem paper clip, Cushman & Denison stated, "Thirty years ago we placed on the market the first 'Gem' Clip."Ĭushman & Denison Advertisement for Gem Paper Clips, 1922 In 1904, when Cushman & Denison applied for a trade mark for the Gem clip, the company stated that it had used the Gem brand name for clips since 1892. The Gem paper clip, which was never patented, but which became by far the best selling paper clip in the U.S., was introduced in 1892 and has been advertised since 1893. A third paper clip was patented by Frank Angell in 1889. This clip was advertised at that time for use in fastening newspapers. for a paper clip with the Fay patent design.Ī second paper clip design was patented by Erlman J. In 1918, the brand name "Fay" was used by the American Clip. However, beginning in the late 1890s and for decades thereafter, the Fay design was widely advertised under many brand names for use in fastening papers. It therefore appears unlikely that paper clips with the Fay design had significant, if any, sales prior to 1896. Also in 1896, the Cinch Clip Co., Buffalo, NY, was identified as the manufacturer of a paper clip named "Cinch," which also used the Fay design. Gorman was the New York, NY, distributor for a "new paperclip," named "Clinch " this clip used the Fay design. In 1896, the American Stationer announced that D. We have found no advertisement for, or other mention of, the Fay design until 1896.
This clip was originally intended primarily for attaching tickets to fabric, but the patent recognized that it could be used to attach papers together. When were paper clips introduced? The first paper clip was patented by Samuel B. This type of clip was also called a "letter clip." We consider these devices on our web page dealing with small filing devices. Recently some paper clips have been made of plastic, but these are not covered here.ĭuring the 19th and early 20th centuries, the term "paper clip" was also used to refer to a spring loaded clip that was generally two or more inches long. One (Nifty) was made by bending a wire into a spiral and then flattening it. Three others were stamped from sheet metal (Eureka, Sheet Brass Gothic, Proco) and another four (Angell, Utility, Vise, Acme Correspondence) were made by folding small pieces of resilient sheet steel. A large majority of different paper clip models were made by bending single pieces of resilient spring steel wire. What counts as a paper clip? For purposes of the discussion and timeline presented here, a paper clip is a flat or nearly flat piece of metal that slides over an edge of a set of papers and holds the papers together without being bent or pinched by the user and without piercing the papers.
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