Oakes Egg Scales
Mr. L. R. Oakes started the Oakes Manufacturing Company in Bloomington, Illinois, in 1892. He moved the company to Tipton Indiana in 1912. Starting in 1926, the manufacturer made several models of egg scales which evolved over the years. This was to adjust to new regulations and customer needs.
The earliest model differentiated eggs weighing 22 ounces or more per dozen from eggs weighing less than 22 ounces. This was to meet the minimum weight standard for hatching fertilized eggs. This scale, model D-53, had OAKES PAT. AP. FOR embossed on the top of the base and was made until 1933.
In 1933 the minimum weight for hatching fertilized eggs moved from 22 ounces to 23 ounces per dozen. The manufacturer made a new model to adjust for this change. That model is called E-53. They also introduced Model 555 with an adjustable weight that could be set for different sizes.
The following year, Oakes added a completely different design. It had a half-roberval mechanism with a pointer indicating the weight of a single egg and a dozen. In 1949, this style was upgraded with a chart showing red, blue, yellow, and green for small through very-large grades. This model was made until 1962 when the company ended egg scale production.
For more company history and other models, see: Charley Amsbaugh, North American Egg Scales from ABC to Zenith. ECKO House Publishing, 2011, scales 44–50.