Egg Pickers

Really fresh eggs, when hard boiled, are hard to peel. A good bit of the white part sticks to the shell, and the egg ends up being smaller and pitted. Not pretty and a bit wasteful. The folks on the Ravelry forum Chicken Lovin’ Fiber Fanatics raised the question of how to fix this, and a few solutions were posed: (1) Let the eggs age several weeks before cooking. (2) Add vinegar to the water. (3) Pierce the shell at the large end before boiling.
Evidently number 3 is the most effective. Folks suggested using a needle and breaking a tiny hole in the egg–not deep enough to break the membrane just beyond the air cell. (See this diagram of an egg to locate the air sac.)
I remembered that my mom had a device to make this quick and easy, so I went home and rifled through the drawers. She has two. Of course she does.

This is the one I remember from childhood. It’s from North Carolina, so she’s had it since before I was born. You set the large end of an egg down on the spring-loaded top . . .

. . . and then press down. The white part of the device and the egg move down but the picker stays still. Easy!

She also had this one, and its raised letters dub it the Egg Piercer. It’s from the Georgia Egg Commission, so may be about my age. It’s a little more straightforward mechanism, just holds the egg in place while you press it down on the piercing part.

Momma gave me this egg piercer. It’s mine! I am so excited! Sure, I could order one for less than two bucks online, but this one is special, couldn’t be bought.
Haven’t tried the tool yet on Corabelle and Rose’s eggs, but hope to experiment soon. Maybe Auntie Joan will share her deviled eggs recipes with me. . . . Please???