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Finds and Interests

Will Seippel | September 11, 2026

One of the things I enjoy most about my work at WorthPoint is keeping an eye on what our Industry Partners are bringing to the auction block. Recently, I noticed an item that evoked a long-ago image of someone enjoying a cold beverage on a porch somewhere.

In the last few weeks of summer, there are still some pretty nights when cracking open a cold beverage can be very refreshing. In one auction I noticed recently, it could also be pretty pricey, but there’s a reason for that.

Golden Age Beer Conical Beer Can — This beer can, from the 1930s is in near-mint shape, a rarity for a can that old and sold for $60,320, proving that brewery related items can still fetch refreshing prices even after almost 100 years. In those days, breweries would experiment with different variants in taste and alcohol content. This can was from a batch that El Rey identified as containing “Not more than 4% alcohol,” which was uncommon at the time, likely increasing its appeal.

Why Morean Auctions Is a Favorite Partner for Breweriana

Morean Auctions is one of our favorite Industry Partners for its expertise and experience in breweriana, the collecting of beer cans, advertising, and other brewery-related vintage items. Their sales always overflow with sudsy offerings of great brewery pieces, iconic cans, trays, and more.

A Near-Mint Gold Age Beer Cone Top Brings $60,320

One item caught my eye in a recent sale, and it was definitely a thirst-quencher for any serious collector. It was a near-mint can of Gold Age Beer from the 1930s, and it sold for $60,320. The can’s style is a cone top, which many beers came in during that era. Finding any can in near-mint condition at that age is rare, and the price reflected that the breweriana niche of collectibles still does well at auction.

El Rey Brewing Co. and the Gold Rush Behind the Label

Gold Age Beer was made by El Rey Brewing Co., a San Francisco company. The logo, a man panning for gold in a creek, echoed the hope and enthusiasm that the Gold Rush brought to California. The can has next to no wear, just three or four tiny dimples in the blue, and what is remarkable are the colors, which are bright and fresh despite its age. I can picture someone, perhaps a farmer, or a tired construction worker, or someone just ending their day on a refreshing note, sitting on a porch, downing an ice-cold beer, and listening to the sounds of the night.

Brewery Trays Are Bringing Real Money, Too

The sale also included trays with brewery advertising and artwork, and one from the Diamond Spring Brewery sold for $13,400. Morean rates it the best example of the design they have handled.

This pre-Prohibition Diamond Spring Brewery serving tray, thirteen inches across and lithographed by Kaufmann and Strauss of New York, sold for $13,400. Morean calls it the best example of the design they have seen, and the smooth, largely unfaded surface is what puts it in that class.

Cheers to the last sultry summer nights and to enjoying a can of something from any decade you prefer.

Search more than one billion prices in the WorthPoint Price Guide to see what your breweriana is really worth.