Best Of The West Live Auction
November 13, 2026 5:30 PM PT
Golden Gate Bottle Auctions is proud to present the Best of the West Live Auction, featuring 72 exceptional lots from the Jeff Wichmann Collection. This special auction showcases an outstanding selection of rare Western bottles, along with four exceptional insulators. Jeff's longstanding passion for Western bottles and his contributions to the collecting community are reflected in this remarkable collection.
The auction will take place Friday, November 13, 2026, at the Gold Country Fairgrounds in Auburn, California, in conjunction with the 49er Bottle Show. Live bidding begins at 5:30 PM Pacific.
Absentee bids will be updated periodically in the online catalog. Please note that online bidding will not be available before or during the live auction on November 13.
→ Register For The Live Auction
The auction will take place Friday, November 13, 2026, at the Gold Country Fairgrounds in Auburn, California, in conjunction with the 49er Bottle Show. Live bidding begins at 5:30 PM Pacific.
Absentee bids will be updated periodically in the online catalog. Please note that online bidding will not be available before or during the live auction on November 13.
→ Register For The Live Auction
Italian Soda Water Manufactory San Francisco
Circa 1852–1862, iron pontil. A popular San Francisco soda that every Western soda collector should own. Several variants are known, this being the example embossed "Union Glass Works Phila" along with slug marks on the reverse. Joseph Spinoni operated the business from 1854 to 1860. By 1860, ownership had passed to Simon Grellier and Frederick Monotti. The following year, Grellier partnered with the well-known San Francisco soda manufacturer James McEwen.
Description & Condition: Uncleaned. Teal–green color with very minimal case wear. Retains iron residue on the pontil. A few light areas of wear and a shallow 1/8” flake off the base edge. A superior example of a pontiled soda.
Min. Bid $350 - Est. $700–$1,500
Paul Jeenicke San Jose
Circa 1890, applied top. The amber Paul Jeenicke Hutchinson is widely regarded as one of California's rarest Hutchinson sodas. Amber is an unusual color for a Hutch soda, and it has been suggested that Jeenicke may have bottled a cider or similar beverage, utilizing the darker glass to help protect its contents from light. Paul Jeenicke registered his distinctive trademark for this bottle with the State of California in August 1891, though it is possible the bottle had been in use for several years prior to that date.
Description & Condition: Amber color. Several checks ranging from 1/8" to 1/4" in length. Surface chip on the "K." Please refer to the online catalog photos.
Min. Bid $150 - Est. $300–$800
J. Monier & Co Clfrna
Circa 1850s, iron pontil. A rare Gold Rush era soda believed to have originated in San Francisco. Despite its rarity, very little has been discovered about J. Monier & Co. or the individuals behind the business. A Jerome Monier appears in San Francisco directories during the late 1850s, while a J.C. Monier was active in Grass Valley at about the same time, though neither has been definitively linked to the bottle. Known in aqua, green, and blue, with blue being the rarest color.
Description & Condition: Medium blue color with light whittle. Typical pontiled soda-type wear and some light scratching. Better than many Monier examples.
Min. Bid $500 - Est. $1,000–$2,500
Boley & Co Sac City
Circa 1850–1860, iron pontil. Variant with Union Glass Works on reverse. Boley & Co. is generally credited with establishing Sacramento's first soda water factory in late 1849 or early 1850. The firm occupied several locations along Front Street and the Sacramento levee during the 1850s and remained in business until approximately 1860.
Description & Condition: Cobalt color with almost no wear. Faint dirt remains around the embossing, with all iron intact. Light interior staining and a very light exterior patina. A great example of an early, uncleaned soda.
Min. Bid $250 - Est. $500–$1,000
Napa Soda
Circa 1865–1875. Napa sodas have long been a cornerstone of Western soda collecting, with dozens of variants known in a remarkable range of colors and glass characteristics. This is one of the many block-letter Napa sodas. A few of the earlier variants dating to the 1860s appear to have been Eastern blown. This is one of the Western blown variants and is an incredible bottle that has everything collectors look for: color, character, and crudity. Jeff loved this bottle, and it proudly occupied a prominent position in his display case for at least the past twenty years.
Description & Condition: Vibrant medium blue. A spectacular profusion of bubbles in varying sizes cascades down the body, complemented by light and dark swirls throughout the glass. Displays a few minor 1/16" pecks along the base edge. An exceptionally crude and visually dynamic Napa soda that will stand out in any advanced collection.
Min. Bid $750 - Est. $1,500–$3,000
Eastern Cider Co.
Circa 1876–1880s, applied top. A popular Western soda and one of the few known Western sodas found in colors outside the typical aqua, green, and blue spectrum. While Eastern ciders occur in virtually every shade of amber, from yellow to olive green, undamaged olive or green examples are exceedingly uncommon. This is one of the greenest examples known and was personally dug by Jeff in a creek near Aptos in 1969. Fortunately, he was able to reacquire it later in life, adding an interesting provenance to an already exceptional bottle. Most of the known green examples suffer from some form of damage, usually cracks or checks.
Description & Condition: Outstanding olive green with good whittle and a pronounced front drip. One of the greenest Eastern Ciders known. Minor areas of glass loss on the E in Eastern and the D in Cider, both insignificant. Combining color, condition, and provenance, this example would be a highlight in any advanced Western soda collection.
Min. Bid $2,000 - Est. $4,000–$8,000