A new twist has come to light after a man was filmed smashing up a guitar that once belonged to Taylor Swift, after buying it for $4,000.
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Swifties were left stunned and slightly heartbroken this week after one of the singer's autographed guitars went up for auction and was then defaced.
The guitar, which featured a large photo of the 34-year-old star as well as other imagery on the front, ended up selling for a princely $4,000 at auction, as confirmed by the event's organizers in a statement to The Independent.
However, the signed instrument was not destined to hang in pride of place in someone's collection, as the buyer took a hammer and began smashing it in front of fellow auction-goers.
Watch the moment below:In the footage, which has since gone viral on TikTok, an older man can be seen holding up the guitar as well as a hammer, before the winner takes both and begins gleefully whacking the instrument multiple times, destroying it.
The man also looked as if he were about to lift the guitar over his head and smash it on the floor before the host of the event, which appeared to be called the Ellis County WildGame Dinner, encouraged him to take the instrument away with him instead.
However, it appears that guitar, which already raised $4,000 for the Texas non-profit, may get to make the charity even more money after the buyer reportedly donated it back to them, for them to sell it again on eBay.
The guitar, complete with several holes made by the man's hammer, is back on the online auction site with a current bid of $2,600 at the time of writing.
The listing states: "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 agriculture educational programs."
It claims that the guitar also comes with a certificate of authenticity, proving it was signed by the star herself.
However, the plot thickens as TMZ has reported that a source close to Taylor's merchandise company has claimed that the singer didn't actually sign the guitar.
The source alleged that the guitar isn't an official Taylor Swift guitar and that the certificate of authenticity wasn't sent by her merchandise company.
The outlet did obtain the certificate of authenticity from the original auction sale, which claims "the guitar has been personally signed by Taylor Swift and is guaranteed to be authentic," however, TMZ states that the certificate doesn't have a seal, which would typically be present on documents such as these.
So while the provenance of the instrument may still be uncertain, any further money raised by it will be going to a great cause nonetheless.
And the buyer will also be getting an internet-famous guitar, which wasn't originally donated for destruction.
After the footage went viral, people have speculated about the motive for the man choosing to smash it up, which happened outside Dallas, Texas, on Sunday night, with many suspecting that it may be politically motivated.
Taylor recently endorsed Kamala Harris for the upcoming election in November, when the candidate will go head-to-head with Donald Trump in the ballot.
She told her followers at the time: "I will be casting my vote for Kamala Harris and Tim Walz in the 2024 Presidential Election. I’m voting for @kamalaharris because she fights for the rights and causes I believe need a warrior to champion them.
"I think she is a steady-handed, gifted leader and I believe we can accomplish so much more in this country if we are led by calm and not chaos. I was so heartened and impressed by her selection of running mate @timwalz, who has been standing up for LGBTQ+ rights, IVF, and a woman’s right to her own body for decades."
The Ellis County Wild Game Dinner organization has stated that the guitar was donated to the auction before Swift made her endorsement for Vice President Harris.
One event attendee later told The Independent: "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."
The attendee 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."
