Urban Art Association

I'd only sell mine for cash. Pound coins too. Which is just shy of 1 tonne for a £100k

Thank you to those of you that have sent the helpful and constructive comments on this thread and via PM.

Do I accept the 85K or go to auction?....... And if so, which auction house?

Under no circumstances should you sell it at auction, you won't get anywhere near as much money. Try Joseph Fine Art, they pay well or use an auction house that can arrange a private sale. 

take the 85K all day long and then invest it in a rental property if you already own your own home

it's a pretty piece of paper, and iconic one for sure but nothing more than that...bricks & mortar all the way when you've got that kind of paper to play with imho

I think you just answered your own question there

As others have said, there is almost no way the arithmetic can work out in your favor by pushing it to auction.  For example:  85 in hand vs. 70% net at auction (assuming 25% buyers fee and 5% seller which you would be able to get with ease for a piece like that) is an equivalent auction price with premium of ~120k+.  And if you're a good arm wrestler and negotiate all of the sellers fee away and only had to subtract the 25% buyers premium, you would still need to achieve a price with premium of ~113k gbp to equate to your 85 net.  I could be wrong, but as others have mentioned I can not see any reasonable scenario where your Girl With Balloon edition 150 exceeds 113k at auction at this point in time.  You would be left to hoping that two inebriated auctiongoers with more money than time each decided they had to have it that night and that's not a wise bet. 

If I had one I would absolutely sell for £85k... You can buy four Warhol Soup Can signed prints for that, or if Banksy (and investment) is your thing you'd be better placed selling and buying four CYWs

Why the f are they under your bed? If you are not even enjoying them on your wall, I'd snap insta turbo sell them if they are worth that much. You might die tomorrow or next week or next year. Do something with your money that you enjoy RIGHT NOW.

Whilst you might get £85 or so at auction if you're very lucky, you will never get anywhere near that as an estimate.  You'll need to be thinking £40-60k with a reserve of about 35.  If fortune shines upon you sure you might hit 85k or so, but with fees you'll lose about 10% of that to the house.  

If you really have been offered 85k take the money and run. That is a great offer and one you'll struggle to increase trying to sell it on your own. Dealers make a percentage on what they buy from you because they have a network of clients who will pay a premium to buy from them, you do not. As a good friend once told me "don't be greedy pigs get eaten"  

The market is hot right now, but it can cool just as quickly as it heated up, don't think you're cleverer than the market, you're not. If someone wants to give you what equates to 3 times the average annual UK salary for a piece of paper from an edition of 150 do the smart thing and take the money.

I personally think there is nowhere but up for a signed, red GWB. Banksy is in a league of his own in terms of his class of artwork and GWB is arguably his most recognized and sought after image. And red is the only color that really matters IMO. I would not sell it if I were you unless you truly need the funds. When Banksy is dead and gone, what print are people going to covet the most from him?

A red, signed GWB.

My 2 cents.

150 signed is nothing. And who knows how many of them have even survived in truly collectible condition.

My guess is maybe 75% of them.

A signed, red GWB is a truly rare thing. Saying they are not is simply false. How many people are there in the world who would love to have one? And how many are there? It's not rocket science.

I believe I've gotten into it debate-wise with Printguru in the past, but damn if he isn't bringing truth and a truly needed warning for many.

150 signed, 600 unsigned is an enormous print run by historical standards.

People paying current Banksy print prices will, fact, lose their asses.  It may not be tomorrow, might be in 5 years, but that ass gone.

A bubble is a bubble is a bubble.  Just because people call it out for what it is when it's only 1/2 its end size, doesn't mean they are wrong.  Just stick around and you'll see it pop.

i'd rather not get caught up in the price discussion around this image - but for the benefit of anyone searching you need to check the condition very carefully, sellers will attempt to pass anything off as "mint"
I doubt the full edition of 600 Unsigned & 150 signed still exists for this image - During my own search I've seen all sorts of condition issues - including prints that had been stuck down with "copydex" adhesive & pritt stick glue. Some have been cleaned up - you need to hold them up to the light - not just look at them laid out on a table, as there can be paper loss - such that you can see thru areas of the print when you hold it up, the paper is so thin.

Excellent... so... that's clear then. He should either sell keep hold of it.