Egg Artifacts in the Museum Collection

Art Griffith and his wife Carolynne were respected egg producers. On this page, you can explore some of the artifacts in the museum collection related to preparing eggs for the market from the farm, as well as preparing eggs for a meal in the kitchen!

Breakfast Set with Egg Cups

While they may serve the same basic function, egg cups can come in all sorts of sizes, patterns, and materials. In this example of a fine bone English breakfast set, the cups are painted with a floral design and a thin golden rim. They were manufactured by Royal Winton in England, and purchased locally at the Harper & Lee Hardware store in Goderich. Royal Winton egg cups are especially treasured by collectors today.

Hen-on-Nest Dish

The “Hen-on-Nest" dish is one of the most popular pieces of antique dishware.

Imported to the United States from Britain as early as the 18th century, their success created a vast market of copies and fakes. New techniques in pressed-glass manufacturing allowed companies to create hen dishes in many different colors and sizes, and their popularity persisted into the 1960s and 1970s. Larger models, like this one from our collection, were often used as nut or candy dishes. In other cases, they were used to package condiments like mustard.

Machine for Forming Egg Flats

This machine for forming egg flats was invented and used by the Self-Locking Carton Company in Chicago. Mounted to a board, the machine is fitted with metal teeth and a spring-operated blade. A carton was created when a flat piece of cardboard was inserted and pressed over the teeth. This made the packaging and shipping process much simpler and safer for the eggs.

Egg Carton from Arkona Egg Station

This carton comes from the egg grading station on the main corner of Arkona. It was was owned and operated by the Marsh family. The demand for eggs led to the creation of the Marsh Transportation Company, which shipped its products to Toronto. While little trace of the egg station remains today, this carton is a reminder of Arkona’s past and the history of egg grading in Lambton County.

Egg Scale

In Canada, eggs that are sold from anywhere other than a farm must be graded to ensure that food safety requirements are met. Graded eggs are given a letter and size designation. The letter designation depends on characteristics of the shell and interior of the egg (identified by candling). The size designation is determined by the weight of the egg. There are six size categories from Peewee to Jumbo. This National Egg Grading Scale dates to about the 1940s. It was used to determine an egg’s weight.

Egg Beater, Poacher, and Slicer

Do you like your eggs scrambled, boiled, or poached? These three artifacts exemplify such methods of cooking eggs. If you prefer scrambled, the Androck Double Dasher Egg Beater could have been your mixer of choice. The Androck Company originated from Illinois but had a factory located in the town of Watford. Androck began business in Canada with their patented toasters but struggled to turn a profit. This changed after the creation of a wired horse nose guard which kept flies away from the animals. The horse nose guard sustained the factory for many years as Androck developed new product lines like the egg beater. The Androck factory became a staple in the Watford area until its closure in 2006.

This poached egg device captures steam from a hot pot of water to cook the egg inside. Seven holes on the bottom allow for the steam to reach the egg. The smaller metal handle lifts the circular rim for easy removal of the steamed egg.

Fans of the boiled egg will appreciate this tool designed solely for the creation of perfect egg slices. Modern equivalents demonstrate its effectiveness with minimal design changes. We know relatively little about the owner of this device, but one can assume they loved boiled eggs.