Welcome to our ‘Keeping It Real’ service
How it Works...
If you've agreed to purchase a Banksy artwork - but before you pay - you can submit the details to us below and we'll check against the database to make sure it’s legit. This is a serious process that will engage and protect both buyer and seller.
We can only offer this service if the work already has a PCO COA. There is a fee for this service which you will get back if the work is fake.
If the artwork doesn’t have a COA then the owner needs to submit an authentication request.
CHECK BEFORE YOU BUY
Please use this service if you are thinking of purchasing a Banksy Artwork but wish to get our opinion on the authenticity of the Art and certificate before handing over your money. We will liaise with the seller during this process.
Artwork Buying Advice
There are a lot of people trying to sell fake Banksy’s who go to great lengths to make them seem real. If it seems too good to be true - it probably is.
You should always research the artwork you are being offered, there is normally information online as to what the edition size should be and distinctive features to look out for.
All artworks that have been certified as real should be accompanied by a Pest Control Office Certificate of Authentication.
Any galleries, online platforms or auction houses that you see selling artworks should have this paperwork to accompany the sale. If not, the work is likely to be a copy.
There are hundreds of stencils of Banksy images online, and unscrupulous people use them to make fakes - especially road signs for some reason - and then give them realistic sounding back stories in order to sell them for a lot of money. They are not real.
Always remain sceptical. There were no Dismaland Certificates of Authentication or ‘free art’, and Banksy has no license agreements - so things like the 'wine collaboration' are entirely deceitful.
CHANGE OF OWNERSHIP
If you have already purchased a Banksy artwork with a COA via the secondary market we recommend you register yourself as the new owner. This helps verify your transaction, prevents other people from pretending it's theirs and helps filter out fakes. There is a fee for this service which you will get back if the work is fake.
