Steve Albini’s memory to live on through a drop of his most prized possessions

Following the passing of the musical whiz in 2024, fans now have a rare opportunity to own fragments of Steve Albini’s storied life. Steve Albini’s Closet, a digital estate sale launched this May, offering weekly drops from the late icon’s personal archive. The offerings are as eclectic as Albini himself, including rare records, obscure literature, poker trophies, zines, vintage tees, and a variety of random oddities and trinkets.

Best known for engineering beloved classics by Nirvana, PJ Harvey, and front-running bands such as Shellac and Big Black, Albini was also a devoted collector with an eye for underground and alternative materials. Now, his personal treasures are being released in batches, featuring 100 to 200 items each Friday, curated by music critic Byron Coley of Forced Exposure, with proceeds benefiting Albini’s estate.

Each item purchased is delivered alongside a certificate of authenticity, with the collection ranging from master recordings of Neurosis’ A Sun That Never Sets to personal copies of Elvis Costello and Dead Moon records, as well as mysterious trinkets of Albini’s life. According to the website, “Steve pursued many fields of interest, and most of them are represented somewhere in his collections.”

The website describes the sale as a “slow unveiling of oddities and treasures” that will continue throughout 2025 and into the next year, with more than 4,000 items still waiting in the wings.

Steve Albini’s Closet is a deep dive into the mind of a true original and is much more than just a typical merchandise drop. Albini’s closet, as it turns out, is far from empty.