From the Collection: Egg Carton Press

by Kylie Berringer (2020 Summer Student)

Before the invention of the egg carton, eggs were carried in baskets.  Unfortunately, this would often result in eggs arriving at their destination either cracked or broken.  Apparently, after Joseph Coyle of British Columbia saw two neighbours getting into an argument over broken eggs, he invented the first egg carton.

At first, it was essentially just a cardboard box with individual spots for each egg. Over time, this developed into the egg carton we see now. Using an egg carton press, people would take old newspapers, mix them with water, and mash them into a pulp. They would then take the pulp, dry it in a sheet, and then use an egg carton press to shape it into an egg carton.

Thanks to the invention of the egg carton, eggs would be able to arrive at their destination safely, and there would be no more arguments over cracked eggs.

In the photograph below, you can see an egg carton press from the Lake of the Woods Museum collection.