Taylor Swift's smashed guitar officially sold for $6.5K on eBay - after the damaged instrument was listed on the e-commerce site earlier this month.
A Texas man named Gary Estes, 67, acquired the reportedly signed guitar at a charity auction for $4K during the Ellis County Wild Game Dinner late last month - but went viral when he was filmed taking a hammer to it.
He explained the move had simply been a 'joke' and there had been no 'malicious' intent - but was later revealed he had not been pleased with the Grammy winner's political endorsement of Kamala Harris.
The Taylor Swift-adorned guitar sold for $6,550, per TMZ - after Estes donated the instrument back to the nonprofit foundation.
The description on the listing had read, '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.'
Taylor Swift's smashed guitar officially sold for $6,550 on eBay - after the damaged instrument was listed on the e-commerce site earlier this month
'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 agriculture educational programs.'
The guitar came with a Certificate of Authenticity - but lacked a seal which, which documents of that kind normally have.
An insider with Swift's merchandising organization said that the description was not accurate as the guitar wasn't signed - although there appears to be an autograph on it in listing photos - and didn't come with a certificate of authenticity.
A Swift merchandising source also told Varietythat the guitar seen in the auction video 'had not been signed by Swift...and was not a certified official guitar used by the singer.'
In the clip that went viral, Estes hammered the body of the instrument, adorned with Taylor Swift decor, as the crowd erupted into cheers.
'Now take that and hang up that busted thing,' auctioneer Craig Meier told Estes before he walked off with the guitar.
Gary later spoke to NBC News and explained to the outlet, '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. It was just a joke that they were making up on the stage, and we just followed through with a joke.'
A Texas man named Gary Estes, 67, acquired the reportedly signed guitar at a charity auction for $4K during the Ellis County Wild Game Dinner late last month - but went viral when he was filmed taking a hammer to it
The description on the listing had read, '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'
Craig Meier also told NBC, 'It was a funny, light-hearted thing. I know maybe it seemed to be malicious, but everybody was laughing.'
'There were people there, at the time, who joked around that he's mad because he doesn't know how to play the guitar.'
Meier said that the incident involving the guitar appeared to have political undertones - just under a month from Election Day - after Swift endorsed Kamala Harris for president over Trump.
'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 said.
Estes also told TMZ after the incident, 'There was nothing mean about it, nothing bad about it. It was just a joke that they were making up on the stage, and we just followed through with a joke.'
Despite the costly instrument now being unusable, Estes still happily walked off with his prize.
The $4,000 all went to charity, with the winnings benefiting the Ellis County Wild Game dinner, an event supporting the agricultural and rural education of local youth.
Citing the Ellis County Wild Game Dinner organization, TMZ reported the guitar was donated to the auction prior to Swift's endorsement of Kamala Harris for president.
Meier said that the incident involving the guitar appeared to have political undertones - just under a month from Election Day - after Swift endorsed Kamala Harris for president over Trump
It was donated by a third party and not meant to be destroyed - as it was the buyer who decided to smash it, the outlet adds.
Auction attendee Rob Bartley told The Independent of the guitar-smashing moment: 'A Taylor Swift guitar had sold at another event unrelated to this earlier in the year, so it wasn't an unheard of type of item to auction.
'That said... when the man announced his intention to smash it the camera phones came out.'
Bartley added, 'It was unexpected, but not surprising. This part of Texas leans heavily conservative and the Biden/Harris administration isn't held in high regard.'
'A lot of the working class people that live around me feel that the administration gone from not working for us to working against us.'
Taylor has been keeping busy and was recently spotted cheering on her boyfriend, Travis Kelce, on Monday as the Kansas City Chiefs defeated the New Orleans Saints at Arrowhead Stadium (seen above)
She donned a plaid miniskirt as well as a matching, strapless corset-styled top and black, knee-high boots during the game
Swift endorsed Harris shortly after the 2024 presidential election between the current vice president and Trump.
Taylor has been keeping busy and was recently spotted cheering on her boyfriend, Travis Kelce, on Monday as the Kansas City Chiefs defeated the New Orleans Saints at Arrowhead Stadium.
She donned a plaid miniskirt as well as a matching, strapless corset-styled top and black, knee-high boots during the game.
Her blonde locks were pulled back into a ponytail, allowing her bangs to gently fall onto her forehead.
The performer is slated to resume dates on her Eras Tour later this month on October 18 in Miami; seen in June in London
Swift accessorized her outfit with a flashy, gold necklace as well as dainty earrings - and for a finishing touch, added glitter under her eyes and cheekbones.
The performer is slated to resume dates on her Eras Tour later this month on October 18 in Miami.
She will also make a three-night stop in New Orleans and later travel to Indianapolis at the beginning of November.
Taylor's tour will conclude on December 8 after additional concerts in both Toronto and Vancouver.