Buying Banksy online is asking for trouble

A reader from Banksy’s hometown of Bristol, England, reacts to the surge of fake Banksy prints and questions why so many people still risk buying them

Sir,

I read your article on fake Banksy prints (Summer 2025 edition, p.32 and online here) with a mixture of disbelief and inevitability. Who in their right mind spends tens of thousands of pounds on a supposed Banksy from eBay or a car boot sale? It’s madness.

The piece confirmed what I’ve always suspected: the market is flooded with forgeries and most people wouldn’t know the difference. The fact that even fake Pest Control certificates are turning up tells you everything. If the paperwork can be copied, buyers need to stop kidding themselves that they’re “getting in early” on a bargain.

Frankly, if someone is willing to hand over that kind of money in a car park or send cash in the post, they deserve to lose it. But it’s still damaging to the art world because it undermines trust for everyone else.

Banksy’s anonymity makes him unique, but it also makes authentication essential. Without proper checks, it’s just expensive wallpaper.

Yours faithfully,
David Morgan, Bristol, UK