500 items from Kraftwerk's Florian Schneider to be auctioned

If you've ever wanted to own a piece of the magic from pioneering, legendary electronic band Kraftwerk, you're in luck, because almost 500 items from Kraftwerk co-founder Florian Schneider are being auctioned in a couple of weeks in Nashville, Tennessee at the Musicians Hall of Fame and Museum, 401 Gay Street.

The auction, hosted by Julien's Auctions, features items from Schneider's vast collection of musical equipment, personal items, band memorabilia, clothing, artwork, furniture from his home and studios, items from his collection of historic woodwind and brass instruments, and much more. I browsed through the items on the auction website and, wow, there's so much cool stuff! I saw turntables, keyboards, drum machines, accordions, mixers, transformers, tape decks, brass instruments, lamps, oboes, and a wide range of other equipment. They're even auctioning off a 1964 Volkswagen van (Type 2/T1 Kastenwagen) that was owned and driven by Schneider and featured in the biographical film, "Eight Miles High" (2007), as well as the Panasonic road bike he rode in the video for "Tour De France."

Consequence of Sound reports that the auction is in accordance with Schneider's wishes regarding what should happen to his belongings upon his death:

"This auction fulfills Florian's handwritten will for his instruments and personal collection to continue living beyond him," according to a press statement about the late Schneider, who died in 2020. "He always believed that they are meant to be played and shared — not left unused or gathering dust in storage. He wanted his equipment to find their way to people who would truly value them: musicians, collectors, and those inspired by the art of sound."

The catalog totaling nearly 500 items also includes select memorabilia from different stages of his life, offering a glimpse beyond the instruments themselves. It has been organized in collaboration with his closest family members.

Julien's Auctions describes the importance of Kraftwerk to the development of electronic music:

It is impossible to tell the story of electronic music without examining the pioneering beats, grooves, and performance aesthetics of Dusseldorf's Kraftwerk and its founding member, Florian Schneider. Formed in 1970, the band brought an experimental approach to pop music, resulting in some of the most innovative and commercially successful electronic albums of the mid-1970s into the 1980s: Autobahn, Trans-Europe Express, The Man-Machine, and Computer World.

Now's your chance to own a piece of music history!

The auction will be held on November 19th, 2025, at 10:00 a.m. CT / 11:00 am ET, and bids can be placed online, by phone, in person, or via absentee bid. Check out all of the cool stuff on offer and learn more about the auction and about Florian Schneider at the auction website.