I found the first and second paperclip in a box of General Correspondence from 1910. The third paperclip was found in a General Correspondence box from 1918. Up until now, I have seen many different ways of fastening and grouping papers together, but this was the first time that the fastener resembles a modern day paperclip. This is the first time that I am seeing something that slides over the edge of the paper and holds the pages together without bending, pinching, or piercing them.
My first found paperclip looks like a fish and is one of the first paperclip designs. The first paperclip was designed and patented by Samuel B. Fay in 1867 intended to fasten tickets to fabric. The paperclip was not advertised until about 1896 when it was given the name “Clinch” and distributed by the American Stationer in New York and the Clinch Clip Co. in Buffalo. The second paperclip that I found looks a lot like the paperclips that are used today. This paperclip is called a Gem paperclip. The Gem was never patented however, a company called Cushman & Denison obtained a trademark for the Gem paperclip stating “used since March 1, 1892.” | |
It would be really hard to trace the origin of the straight pin, since the pins have been used to fasten clothing for decades. It is known however that the first metal straight pins were made in the 18th century, in pin factories by sharpening one end of a wire and fastening it to a head. Machinery that used one piece of wire for the pin and the head was developed in the mid-1800s.
Another common fastener I see, and kind of despise, is rubber bands. They fall apart and crumble and get little pieces of dried rubber everywhere. There are many stories about the “invention” of the rubber band, since many businessmen had used rubber technology during the time, but the first time that the rubber band was patented was in the March of 1845. The band was patented by English inventor Stephen Perry, who discovered the usefulness of the rubber band when working at the Messer Perry and Co. Rubber Manufactures in London. Although this was the first time that rubber bands were patented, it was not the first time that they were used. About three thousand years ago Mesoamericans were able to create the first rubber bands by mixing the sap of rubber trees with the juices of morning glories.
Before paperclips, and as an alternative to pins and rubber bands, sealing wax was used to fold two documents together. The wax I normally see is red, and it is found in the earlier records, about 1850-1880’s.
Eyelets are uncommon in the collection, but I do see them occasionally. To the right, in the slideshow, is a picture of one of the first eyelets that I found in the 1862 General Correspondence records. The eyelets machine was invented by Hymen L. Lipman and patented, for the first time, in 1854. Following the initial patent, new and improved models came about. Eyelets were probably advertised and marketed by 1856 for use holding two or more papers together as well as paper to cloth. The eyelets were difficult to remove, meaning that it was hard to replace one of the pages. When an eyelets, or paper held together with an eyelet was removed, it was easy to detect, which could be both good or bad the company using them. | |
| Another fastener I found is the one to the left. I believe that this also made by McGill. Although I cant find the actual name and when it was patented, it looks very similar to the ones in the samples from the McGill Company below. Glue is also used. I often find that glue is used when fastening newspaper articles to a sheet of paper to make it easier to send through the mail. The glue is still sticking after about 200 years so it is pretty strong. The glue is seen throughout much of the collection, mainly in the 1880's. |
The Fall Brook collection is mainly coal and railway related documents. I really enjoy learning about the two intertwining businesses through the letters and correspondence, but I also love the history that I am learning from the other things in the boxes such as the paperclips, advertisements, and letterhead