'They cannot attach propery at a comer of a paper. The concept of a clip to hold papers together started with Samuel B. Fay's invention in 1867, primarily intended for attaching tickets to fabric.According to the Early Office Museum, the first patent for a bent wire paper clip was awarded in the United States to Samuel B. Fay in 1867. In 1899, Vaaler designed his own version of a paper clip to address the same problem of binding papers without damaging them. These manufacturers put out roughly 20 million lb (9 kg) a year of paper clips. History. The paper clip evolved to fill a specific need. Although there were a lot of attempts to make a clip that would hold papers, the first patent issued was in 1887. He filed a patent for his design in Germany in 1899 and later in the United States in 1901 (US Patent 675,761). Johan Vaaler's paper clip patent. Over 150 years ago, on April 23, 1867, Samuel B. Fay was awarded, in the United States, the first-ever patent on a paper clip.