mirrored egg scale
This is the sort of thing that gets an avid collector a little excited! This is a *mirrored* egg scale. When I saw this egg scale on an auction site, I had to look very closely. If the photo had been mirrored, surely that would have been apparent from the numbers on the scale. But no, they were actually positioned correctly. The moving part of this egg scale is mounted in the fixed frame the other way around, and the scale has been fitted with a corresponding graduated scale where the weight values increase from right to left! The more common version, featuring a scale that increases from left to right, has previously been shown on this website; see here. Up until now, I had only ever seen that version. I don't know why this strange, mirrored version was made. Does it have something to do with right- or left-handed users?
It is a distinctive egg scale featuring oil damping. The scale was presumably manufactured in the Netherlands. It bears no brand name. I once came across an example online that had a small red name label on the vertical upright, just visible beneath the oil reservoir. Upon inquiry, it turned out to read: G. Coenen & Zonen, Groenstraat 15, Roggel, tel. 4749 321. I do not know whether this is the name of the manufacturer itself or more likely that of a distributor. The motion damping is performed by a rectangular vane that moves along with the indicator arm as an oar in the oil-filled brass container. This oil container is placed behind the large sized chart and has the same curved shape. The oil slows down the movement, thereby, the egg scale comes faster to a standstill, and can be read sooner. The scale in grams is from 47 to 83 grams. The base and stand are made of wood. The egg holder and the weighing arm are made of magnetic steel. The counterweight is made of brass. Also, the heavy, solid frame in which the main shaft is suspended is made of brass.
back of the scale
