Time may have claimed Avicii, but an unprecedented auction organized by his family aims to transform his personal belongings into catalysts for change.
Fans of Avicii, whose real name was Tim Bergling, will soon be able to place bids to own a tangible memory of the legendary DJ, who in 2018 tragically died by suicide at the age of 28. 267 of his personal items are set to hit the auction block on October 1st and all proceeds will benefit the Tim Bergling Foundation, a philanthropic organization launched in the wake of his death to provide support for young people experiencing mental health issues.
Presented by Stockholms Auktionsverk, the collection includes sneakers, clothes and musical instruments owned by Bergling. The company, which claims to be the world’s oldest auction house, has joined forces with EDM.com to provide our readers with an exclusive first look.
“The family has long considered how to best handle these items and decided that a charity auction for The Tim Bergling Foundation was the best option rather than keeping them in storage,” says Stockholms Auktionsverk specialist Malin Sveholm, who is overseeing the auction. “Holding an auction for the Tim Bergling Foundation—whose goal is to support the mental wellbeing of young people—is transforming them into financial resources to help others.”
Lot #10 features a black Miami Marlins New Era cap, size 7 3/8. Bergling wore the hat during a performance in San Francisco in February 2016.
Sean Eriksson
Stockholms Auktionsverk
Stockholms Auktionsverk
Lot #14 features a pair of blue Givenchy high-top sneakers with white soles and intricate patterns of white flowers. The size is not specified.
Bergling wore the sneakers for a press shoot in May 2016, less than two years before his death. He also wore them to Burning Man that year and they are still “covered in sand” from Black Rock City.
Stockholms Auktionsverk
Lot #79 contains a treasure trove for Avicii’s fellow artists: a personal DJ setup used by Bergling.
The lot comprises two Pioneer CDJ-2000 Nexus DJ Multi-Players and a Pioneer DJM-900 Nexus Mixer in their original black cases. An electronic music collector’s dream, it’s a tangible connection to the timeless beats that continue to move millions.
“Tim Bergling himself was not a collector in the sense that he collected things to accumulate an estate,” says Tom Österman, Senior Client Executive oat Stockholms Auktionsverk. “We have learned that he did not attach much value to material possessions, instead his view of money was that the more you have, the more reason you have to share it—to make the world a better place.”
The live auction will take place at Nybrogatan 32 in Stockholm and online Tuesday, October 1st at 3pm CEST (9am ET, 6am PT). Stockholms Auktionsverk is publishing a digital catalog on September 6th.
You can find out more via the auction’s official website and read about how to bid here.