Claim: Johan Vaaler had a patent granted on June 4, 1901 but a less functional one was already in production by the British (capital London ) Gem Manufacturing Company Ltd, his lacked two full loops.
Evidence: Unknown to Vaaler, a more functional and practical paper clip was already in production by the British Gem Manufacturing Company Ltd, but not yet marketed in Norway. In 1901, Vaaler designed a kind of binding to hold paper together, consisting of a thread of steel wire. His design was inferior because it lacked the two full loops of the wire. London