August 2025: The Sammelmappe You’ve Never Heard Of: Eiríkur Magnússon's Forgotten Invention

Why do some inventions make history while others disappear? In the case of Eiríkur Magnússon, only few know about the Spiral Library he designed but never built. Even fewer know about another of his inventions: a document binder he patented in Britain, France, and Germany in 1892–93. This is the story of the ‘Sammelmappe’ and what it tells us about invention, obscurity, and the archival traces left behind.

When I went on a research trip to Landsbókasafn in Reykjavík, I knew I would find material related to Eiríkur's Spiral Library, but I had no idea that he had also patented another invention. This blog post traces the paper trail left behind by this patenting process.

The Sammelmappe – provisionally titled “An improved binder for catalogues, records and the like” – was exactly what it sounded like. It was designed as a system for the temporary or permanent storage of documents, in which individual parts or quires could be removed as needed.

Eiríkur Magnússon's main occupation was not that of an inventor. He was dedicated to making Iceland and Icelandic texts (including the Icelandic Legends, which are the focus of my PhD project: https://www.resonatingnetworks.com/projects/folk-literature) accessible to the public through translations, lectures, and language teaching. He was also an under-librarian at the Cambridge University Library, where he developed an interest in cataloguing, library design, and organisation. Within this intellectual environment, he had access to patenting mechanisms and to the international networks that enabled him to apply for patents in multiple countries.

So what exactly was the Sammelmappe? Fortunately, we have the descriptions required for the patent applications (in English, German and French), as well as the technical drawing (see Figure 1). We know, therefore, that it consisted of a cover with a spine and two lids, as well as a system for securing papers that allowed them to be easily inserted or removed.

The key feature was a set of movable metal rods or wires with hook-shaped ends. These passed through holes in the papers and were secured inside the spine using a sliding locking mechanism. Each rod could be opened or closed individually without disturbing the others.

The binder was designed to be durable and adaptable. It could hold multiple sections of paper, and the number of rods could vary depending on thickness. Optional features included buttons or straps to operate the locking system, and reinforcements for heavier paper loads.

“In other cases I provide suitable means for operating the sliding piece to engage with or release the said rods or pieces of wire such as a knob passing through a slot or the like and if desired I provide a moving piece so arranged as to come in contact with the knob, strip, or other part connected with the sliding piece to prevent the accidental movement of the sliding piece.”
(Excerpt from p. 3 of the English "complete specification”)

There had been a similar patent just a few years earlier, by Wilhelm Schäffel from Leipzig, who designed a ‘Selbstheftvorrichtung’. The London-based patent agency D. Young & Co, which handled Eiríkur’s application, alerted him to this, but the patents were different enough for this not to be a problem. Schäffel’s device was focused more on sheet music that was not supposed to be removed frequently, but which had to lie completely flat when open so that the page edges remained visible.

To facilitate the patenting process across countries, Eiríkur used the services of the London-based firm D. Young & Co in London, founded in 1891 by David Young (who was also the one that corresponding with Eiríkur). Just one year later, the earliest known step in the Sammelmappe’s patent process was taken, when Eiríkur filed the British patent application on 22 April 1892 via Young & Co, under the provisional number 7588/92 (sometimes shortened to 7588, with 92 indicating the year).

A letter from Young & Co, dated 16 February 1893, shows Young recommending a royalty model based on sale price for the Sammelmappe, which indicates early commercial planning. Young then got to work: on 22 February 1893, he submitted the French patent application under the title “Nouveau système de relieur pour catalogues, registres, etc.”, with the patent number 228,140. Just two days later, he filed the German patent application with the Kaiserliches Patentamt (Imperial German Patent Office) in Berlin, from which early payment receipts and fee confirmations are preserved.

Shortly after that, on 18 March 1893, the complete specification for the British patent was accepted, confirming the technical details of the Sammelmappe. On 30 and 31 March, Young confirmed that the French patent had been issued and sent a copy of the British one to Eiríkur.

On 12 April 1893, Young submitted the German patent description and received confirmation of a provisional German patent granted on 28 August 1893 (with legal protection backdated to 25 February 1893), under the placeholder number 9583 III/II.

On 4 September 1893, a letter from Young & Co confirmed that the German patent had been granted. The final German patent number, 71795, was confirmed on 18 November, with legal protection retroactively effective from 25 February 1893.

Finally, on 14 November 1893, the official German patent certificate was issued, complete with technical drawings and decorated with a colourful binding and a seal. This marks the culmination of Sammelmappe’s patent journey.

As this story shows, the bureaucratic processes involved in protecting intellectual property and filing patents internationally were already highly developed and professionalised by the 1890s. The need for international coordination was clear, and even the firm D. Young & Co. still exists today as an intellectual property firm (see Figure 2).

Unfortunately, the paper trail for the Sammelmappe ends with the German patent certificate. We know that the patent fees were paid for at least one year, but there are no known documents to indicate when the patent expired, or whether the Sammelmappe ever went into production (I would assume not). Still, the Sammelmappe offers a fascinating glimpse into Eiríkur's inventive and entrepreneurial mind.

Shelfmarks: Lbs 2182 4to, Lbs 2189 b 4to, Lbs 373 fol.