Egg Carrier

In 1903, the U.S. granted a patent (number 722,512) to Henry S. Jenne for a new style container for transporting eggs. He assigned this patent to John G. Elbs of Rochester, New York, who began producing the containers under the name Starr Egg Carrier and Tray Manufacturing.

Star Egg Carriers and Trays

Star Egg Carriers and Trays

The innovative feature of this egg carrier was the use of removable jute board inserts lining the sides and bottom of the wooden crate and dividers that created twelve individual sections. Jute board was used because the fibrous material was soft and absorbed shocks.  Circular holes in the bottom layer held the eggs in place. A cover was placed over the top and secured with the metal bar.  Once the eggs reached their destination, the case was inverted into the tray-like cover.  The purchaser kept the tray but the wooden crate and the partitions were returned to the seller.

Elbs touted the Starr Egg Carriers as saving the seller “thousands of dollars by eliminating breakage.” Company ads also noted that the design prevented miscounts, made handling quicker and easier  thus “reducing the cost of delivery by 16 2/3 percent.”  The ads also claimed more satisfied consumers.

The carriers did offer advantages and by 1919 Elbs claimed that his carriers were “used by 70 percent of all retail grocers.”

To see other items related to the buying and selling of goods, visit the new “Consumer Culture” exhibit at the Benton County Historical Society's Philomath Museum.

By Martha Fraundorf, Volunteer for Benton County Historical Society, Philomath, Oregon