So according to the story. Banksy built the shredder into the frame that held the girl with balloon picture. The reason given by Banksy that if the picture came up for sale on the secondary market it would be shredded.

According to Sotheby's, the owner who submitted it to auction in 2018, acquired the artwork direct from the artist in 2006. So presumably this buyer did not realise that the modified frame held a shredder in it. Assuming of course that the buyer bought the artwork framed this way which according to Sotheby's stated it was.

So Banksy decided to keep track of this artwork for 12 years waiting for the day that it came up for auction at Sothebys and when it did, somehow Banksy managed to install working batteries inside the frame with no one knowing about it?

It is very convenient for this stunt to happen that this artwork was not re sold in a private sale and what if the artwork never came up for sale at auction. The shredder in the frame would never see the light of day.

It all comes across as a stunt with a dodgy back story.

Is there any record of this artwork in this frame being sold by the artist in 2006?

It could be that the date of the art is correct but the modifying the frame to put what looks like a shredder inside it was done not long before the art was submitted to Sotheby's by the owner.

The owner being Banksy or whoever runs the team and the buyer part of it too.

I haven't seen any proof there ever was a COA when the item went on the block - has anyone actually seen it? Pest Control and Sotheby's have a very tight relationship and if PC provided a backstory (for use as a catalogue description) but said COA was pending then that would have been sufficient.

As has already been stated here this was set-up purely as a stunt and the new COA would no doubt have been ready to go at the time when the stunt occurred.

I've seen this auction today and was wondering if any of you collectors actually owns something numbered "00"?

Also it doesn't look like the 2006 balloon girl they shredded 🤔

www.sothebys.com/en/buy/auction/2022/the-now-evening-auction-3/girl-with-balloon-diptych-2

So you think it's a coincidence that Banksys market is crashing since the article and this thread ? 
Surely the accusations would have been easily proven wrong yet others get called out for fraud/ropey behaviour all the time and everyone accepts it. I guess it's different when it effects your own pocket - egg on face springs to mind soon. 

To think either could impact the international art market, mentally ill springs to mind tbh.

Interesting interview with my husband

Oh woe is me, I'm not recognised like I should be, I deserve more respect from Weston, Blow my own trumpet blah blah, Pat myself on the back, Why cant I have been Banksy ?

Embarrassing, 

Been aware of JPS for years, never heard him speak before. Interesting to finally put a voice to a name. Not sure how important that is in the grand scheme of things, unless he phones me one day and asks me what I'm wearing, but here we are.
Cool.

Cringeworthy! Nothing else to add.

Obviously not many of you have listened to the part of how cowardly it is to be anonymous and how irrelevant an anonymous viewpoint is.

He is full of shit no matter what bit you listen too,  and that voice Jeeeeeeez

posted on a forum where folks are mostly anonymous. Why all the effort to convince the cowardly and irrelevant?

“There was physically only one work. But the change in title implies that the work changed status in the mind of the artist.”

Check and mate.

If I spent £16 million on this, I reckon I could get PC to change it to ‘Girl with Chicken Kebab’ if I wanted.