The Fender Stratocaster Prince smashed in his My Name Is Prince music video is going up for auction

The Fender Stratocaster Prince smashed to pieces in his 1992 music video for My Name is Prince – the second single from his 14th studio album Love Symbol – is set to hit the auction block.

While it looks far from playable, the guitar will command a minimum bid of $60,000. Gotta Have Rock and Roll – the auctioneer in charge of the sale – even estimates that it will fetch between $80,000 and $120,000.

The riotous video for My Name is Prince – a hip-hop-inspired dance track – foreshadowed Prince's infamous clash with Warner Bros over his album release schedule, which led  the pop icon to change his name to the ‘Love Symbol’ that features on the cover of his 1992 album.

Early on in the video, Prince raises the Strat over his head and smashes it into the ground, before leading a riot in the streets of Downtown Minneapolis. 

“The guitar smashing both added to the riot aesthetic, and was also a subtle hint to the album's shift away from Prince's traditional guitar-driven rock sound,” says Gotta Have Rock and Roll.

While little is revealed regarding the obliterated instrument's specs, though it looks to be a standard hardtail sunburst Stratocaster, with a trio of single coils, master volume knob, two tone pots and a five-way selector switch.

Though the guitar received its 15 seconds of fame in the My Name is Prince music video, there's no evidence it was used by the pop icon either onstage or in the studio at any other time.

The guitar hits the auction block August 11 at 9AM EST. The winning bidder will also receive a certificate of authenticity and a catalog from Barney's – another auction house that had previously listed the instrument. 

For more information, head to Gotta Have Rock and Roll.