Reliable Egg Scales
The Reliable Manufacturing Company was located at 2636 Humboldt Road, Los Angeles, California. It began producing poultry equipment in 1923. It later became the Reliable Manufacturing Division of the James Manufacturing Company. (Be careful! A different, unrelated company, Reliable Incubator and Brooder Co., was in Quincy, Illinois.)
There were three generations of horizontal rocker scales on wooden or metal bases. All the generations of Reliable Manufacturing Company egg scales were made in models for chicken and turkey eggs, with the difference being the size of the counterweight. Chicken eggs range between 16 and 29 ounces per dozen, while turkey eggs range in size between 30 and 44 oz. per dozen. They all came with a ring-shaped weight that sat in the egg holder and a hanging weight for the beam.
The images below show the three generations of chicken egg scales.
The first-generation beams were originally made of brass, then steel. They were mounted on a wooden base, notched at both ends so they could fit on a wooden egg crate. The support frame was made of cast iron.
The manufacturer’s information was stamped on the top of the base and on the bottom of the base in ink. The following information was stamped on the wooden base: “The Reliable Egg Scale, patent pending, built for speed and accuracy, Mfg. by Reliable Mfg. Co., Los Angeles.” and “Tested 19 & 22 oz $2.90” [ounces per dozen]. On the under portion of the base, either “Reliable Mfg. Co.” or “Poltriquip Mfg Co., Ltd” was stamped.
The second-generation Reliable Egg Scale was made of non-magnetic pot metal and sat on a non-galvanized tin base that was notched to fit on an egg case. A brass-colored nameplate was attached to the end of the base opposite of the egg cradle.
Early models were tested for 19 and 22 ounces per dozen while later models were tested for 20 and 23 oz. per dozen. The directions for operating the egg scale were printed on a card and slipped underneath the base of the scale. The city postal code on the directions indicated that these second-generation scales were made between 1943 and 1949 when the company was sold. This generation of scales sold for $3.45.
The third generation of Reliable Egg Scale was also made of non-magnetic pot metal, and it was mounted on a galvanized tin base that was notched to fit waxed cardboard egg cases. There was a red-and-silver colored nameplate attached to the base opposite the egg cradle, and it showed the business was now owned by James Manufacturing Co. James Mfg bought Reliable Mfg in early 1949. The chicken egg scale was tested for 21 and 24 oz. per dozen and sold for $3.90.
References:
Charley Amsbaugh, North American Egg Scales from ABC to Zenith, ECKO House Publishing, 2011, scales 60-62.