A Taylor Swift-themed guitar that a Texas man smashed is back on the market for a higher price
A guitar inspired by Taylor Swift that gained fame when a Texas man purchased it for $4,000 and then smashed it with a hammer is once again available for sale. This time, the listing price has gone up.
“He returned it, suggesting we put it on eBay and donate the proceeds to the kids,” says Craig Meier, the organizer behind the Ellis County WildGame Dinner in Waxahachie, Texas, where the guitar was sold at auction.
The WildGame Dinner aims to fund scholarships for FFA and 4-H, agricultural student groups. Over 500 locals and business owners bought tickets for the event, priced at $50 each. Included in the auction were various items such as vacation packages, hunting trips, firearms, and desserts.
“We even sold a chocolate pie for $5,000,” Meier adds.
Included in the auction was a guitar featuring imagery of Swift from her Eras Tour promotional material, along with a signed CD insert from her “Midnights” album. However, the guitar itself was not signed by Swift; her signature was placed on a paper that was later attached to the guitar.
Gary Estes, the buyer, paid $4,000 and then proceeded to strike the guitar with a hammer, creating 17 holes while the audience applauded. A TikTok video of the incident, posted by JD Cobb, quickly went viral.
“In Ellis County, Trump has a strong following,” Cobb told YSL News. “Particularly among folks who enjoy country music, Taylor Swift isn’t very popular here.”
Estes, who runs an electric company in Texas, explained to NBC News, “It was all meant to be a light-hearted joke at a fundraising event for kids. There was no malicious intent—just some playful fun that unfolded on stage.”
We returned the smashed guitar to the organization on Tuesday to help raise additional funds for students.
“We want to assure people that there’s no intention of harming her or wishing any negativity upon her,” Meier adds. “We would love for her to participate in the bidding—imagine if she and Kid Rock competed for it!”
The eBay auction is set to end at 8:30 p.m. ET on Tuesday. As of Thursday morning, the highest bid was $6,500.
