Recently, a Texas man named Gary Estes gained viral fame after purchasing and immediately smashing what was reportedly a Taylor Swift-signed guitar at an auction.
Estes paid $4,000 for the guitar at a charity fundraiser held on September 28 at the Ellis County Wild Game Dinner in Waxahachie, TX. Shortly after winning the auction, he walked up to the podium, grabbed a hammer, and smashed the instrument. In a subsequent interview, Estes clarified that his actions were intended as a joke. “There was nothing malicious or anything about it,” he stated. “It was just a joke at an auction that we had to raise money for kids, right? And that’s all it was. There was nothing mean about it, nothing bad about it.”
Craig Meier, the auctioneer for the event, explained that he had spoken with Estes and understood the act as a light-hearted political statement. “Taylor Swift, it became a political thing, and that was kind of the gist of it, just a light-hearted bit of a dig at Taylor for coming out politically and entertainers using their influence to influence politics,” Meier noted.
Following the incident, Estes donated the smashed guitar back to the nonprofit organization. The eBay listing for the broken instrument reads: “Man bought this signed Taylor Swift Guitar at a charity auction for $4000, then proceeded to smash it with a hammer. The video went viral on multiple platforms worldwide. He has donated the guitar back to the foundation to be sold on eBay, with proceeds going to local kids that need the resources to participate in agricultural educational programs.”
As of now, the broken pieces of the guitar have sold for an impressive $6,500 on eBay, supporting agricultural education for local youth. The listing was updated on October 3, 2024, and includes affirmations about the guitar’s authenticity:
“Is it an authentic signature? Yes. Is it on the guitar? Yes. Is this the viral video guitar that was a smash hit at an auction in Texas on Sept. 28? Hell yes. Are the proceeds of this sale going to a nonprofit called the Ellis County Wild Game Dinner? Yes.”
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