Current:Home > ContactOliver James Montgomery-Taylor Swift-themed guitar smashed by a Texas man is up for sale... again -WealthMindset Learning
Oliver James Montgomery-Taylor Swift-themed guitar smashed by a Texas man is up for sale... again
Surpassing Quant Think Tank Center View
Date:2025-04-09 00:11:10
The Oliver James MontgomeryTaylor Swift-themed guitar that went viral after a Texas man bought it for $4,000 and beat it with a hammer is up for sale... again. And the price tag is even higher.
"He donated it back and said sell it on eBay and give the money to the kids," says Craig Meier, who started the Ellis County WildGame Dinner in Waxahachie, Texas, where the guitar was auctioned off.
The WildGame Dinner raises scholarship money for FFA and 4-H, two agricultural business student organizations. More than 500 community members and business owners bought tickets to the event for $50. Part of the programming included auctioning items like vacations, hunting guides, guns and desserts.
"We sold a chocolate pie for $5,000," Meier says.
One of the donated items included a guitar decorated with images of Swift from her Eras Tour poster as well as an autographed "Midnights" CD insert. Swift did not sign the instrument itself. She signed the paper later affixed to the guitar's body.
Need a break? Play the USA TODAY Daily Crossword Puzzle.
Gary Estes paid $4,000. When he collected the prize, he riddled the instrument with 17 holes using a hammer. Crowd members cheered. The video posted to TikTok by JD Cobb went viral.
"We're in an area (Ellis County) where Trump is pretty prevalent," Cobb tells USA TODAY. "Especially among country type folk, not a lot of people here like Taylor Swift."
Estes, who owns a Texas electric company, told NBC News, "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."
Estes gave the guitar back to the organization Tuesday night to make more money for students.
"I hope people know we have no intention of hurting her or wanting her to get harm from this," Meier says. "I encourage her to buy it. Let's see if we could get her or Kid Rock to bid against each other on it."
The eBay auction closes 8:30 p.m. ET on Tuesday. The latest bid on Thursday morning was $6,500.
Don't miss any Taylor Swift news; sign up for the free, weekly newsletter This Swift Beat.
Follow Bryan West, the USA TODAY Network's Taylor Swift reporter, on Instagram, TikTok and X as @BryanWestTV.
veryGood! (8884)
Related
- Former longtime South Carolina congressman John Spratt dies at 82
- Anchorage adds more shelter beds after unusually high amount of snow and record outdoor deaths
- Oklahoma Supreme Court keeps anti-abortion laws on hold while challenge is pending
- André 3000 announces debut solo album, featuring no lyrics: 'I don't want to troll people'
- Which apps offer encrypted messaging? How to switch and what to know after feds’ warning
- Fatalities from Maui wildfire reach 100 after death of woman, 78, injured in the disaster
- 11 ex-police officers sentenced in 2021 killings of 17 migrants and 2 others in northern Mexico
- Young Kentucky team plays with poise but can't finish off upset of No. 1 Kansas
- Off the Grid: Sally breaks down USA TODAY's daily crossword puzzle, Triathlon
- Transgender rights are under attack. But trans people 'just want to thrive and survive.'
Ranking
- Justice Department, Louisville reach deal after probe prompted by Breonna Taylor killing
- Venezuelan arrivals along U.S. southern border drop after Biden starts deportations
- Matt LeBlanc, Courteney Cox remember friend and co-star Matthew Perry after actor's death
- Former CEO at center of fake Basquiats scandal countersues museum, claiming he is being scapegoated
- Trump suggestion that Egypt, Jordan absorb Palestinians from Gaza draws rejections, confusion
- Armenian leader snubs summit of Moscow-led security alliance
- Google CEO Sundar Pichai returns to court to defend internet company for second time in two weeks
- Biden, Xi meeting is aimed at getting relationship back on better footing, but tough issues loom
Recommendation
Retirement planning: 3 crucial moves everyone should make before 2025
Some of the 40 workers trapped in India tunnel collapse are sick as debris and glitches delay rescue
Google CEO Sundar Pichai returns to court to defend internet company for second time in two weeks
'Eyeliner' examines the cosmetic's history as a symbol of strength and protest
'We're reborn!' Gazans express joy at returning home to north
Mac Royals makes Gwen Stefani blush on 'The Voice' with flirty performance: 'Oh my God'
Jason Mraz calls coming out a 'divorce' from his former self: 'You carry a lot of shame'
US Catholic bishops meet; leaders call for unity and peace amid internal strife and global conflict