Zenith Egg Scales
Zenith egg scales were invented by Orlando W. Bedell of Earlville, New York, about 1920. He designed and constructed the equipment to make these scales. Several different models were sold including hanging versions.
Zenith scales continued to be manufactured through the 1980s. While the basic design of the scale remained unchanged throughout this time period, materials of construction, maker's identification, and paint colors evolved over the years and can be used to estimate the date of manufacture of individual examples.
The very first Zenith scales had an unpainted pot metal base rounded on both ends and bore a paper label that reads:
ZENITH / Egg Grading Scale / PAT. APPLIED FOR / Manufactured by / O.W. BEDELL / EARLVILLE, N.Y.
Later paper labels dropped the words: PAT APPLIED FOR.
The unpainted pot metal base was revised and rounded on only one end.
The base material was changed to black painted cast iron around World War II but later painted blue. With the introduction of cast iron, maker identification was cast into the base and read:
ZENITH / EGG / GRADING SCALE / MFG. BY / O. W. BEDELL / EARLVILLE, N.Y.
Bedell sold the business to the Cooperative Grange League Federation Exchange (GLF) in 1948. At that time, the words "Mfg. By O. W. BEDELL" were deleted from molds for casting the base, leaving:
ZENITH / EGG / GRADING SCALE / EARLVILLE, N.Y.
Eventually, GLF created new base molds with the casting:
ZENITH / EGG GRADER / EARLVILLE / N.Y. U.S.A.
In 1964, GLF merged with two cooperatives to become Agway, and the business was relocated to Cortland, N.Y. Casting molds were again changed to delete "EARLVILLE N.Y. U.S.A." leaving:
ZENITH / EGG GRADER
and these masters continued in use until the early 1980s when they were destroyed in a fire.
About 1972, following a decline in business, Agway shutdown production and sold the manufacturing equipment to Bud Pratt. Pratt set up in his garage in New Woodstock, N.Y., and continued to produce these scales with the same casting molds and a dark grey painted base.
In the mid-’80s, Bud Pratt sold this business to Tim Coon, DeRuyter, N.Y., who continued to make these scales on his farm through at least 2006. Coon changed the base casting to simply read:
ZENITH / EGG / GRADER
and continued the gray painted base.
A detailed history is available from Charley Amsbaugh, North American Egg Scales from ABC to Zenith, ECKO House Publishing, 2011, scales 78–84.