I started in 04 when someone gave me a signed Hmv, She had three in the boot of her car?!
I then went on to the site and bought a few signed. I stopped buying as I was saving for my wedding and my now wife thought I was an idiot, of course now she walks around pretending that she bought them!
Always bought signed just because I had been given a signed one and wanted them to match.

Got onboard in 04 and remember mmming and aaaaing about which print to get and having plenty of time to do so. Also remember thinking that spending a few hundred bobs on a canvas was a bit much........have become wiser...i think!

cheers

Ragnar

You're certainly not alone Carlo!

I'd been in to graff for years, and in 2004 heard about this guy called Banksy who used stencils to spray. Fuckin cheat I thought! How naive I was! When I started seeing his work I started changing my opinion and began to love it, but at no time did I ever think there'd be official images/prints for sale. By the time I found out about POW it was too late (well almost ).

I have to agree with others here though. If I had found the prints earlier there is no way I'd have spent the extra money on a signature when I could have got 2 unsigned.

I'm in that boat too. I was introduced to Banksy's street pieces in about 98/99 by a friend who was very into graf. Didn't realise he did prints till last year tho!

I'm late to the party as my first just arrived a week ago though I've been aware of Banksy for over 2 years now which is much less than most of you. I began looking to buy 18 months ago and thought the pricing back then was pretty steep given how relatively new he was to the art scene. I've got so many stories of paintings that got away given how the market has moved that I've lost count but am delighted with what we have. I want another but antics like this Cans festival aren't going to help my cause in the short term. I really wish I could have seen that tunnel and the energy of the folks in there in the flesh.

I grabbed one of the tiny 12 inch square Heavy Weaponry cavases because my wife and i just love the image. I've got my eye on "the key to making great art" since it has such a stong warhol influence which i love, HMV dog, or one of the London, NY, Bristol canvases but am working on a deal for those. More than likely in order to grab one of those 3, I need to part with a piece in my collection which would be a first in almost a decade at this hobby. I thought I had one picked out to punt and had a couple of offers from NY dealers above what I suspected I could sell it for but I just couldn't pull the trigger at the last moment despite deciding earlier that I could part with it.

My wife and I both are having a difficult time identifying one that we want to sell at this point and have been in pause mode until all of the recent stuff is reframed which should be Saturday.

I may be an original flipper!!!! ;D

I bought a LITA for £35 back in 03 and later sold it for £120 6 months on cos I wanted a LN. I bought a GWB instead for £75, which seemed like a fortune back then.

Heavy Weaponry and Throw your guns orginals on POW for £350!!!

They sat on there for ages!!!

Been collecting every since.

35quid for a Flower Thrower
75quid for Girl With Balloon

Thanks for asking, I've posted a bit of our collection along with some from other friends collections and some random museum pieces at the following link:

www.flickr.com/photos/lar3/sets/72157604085866056/

And the banksy in the tunnel are in one of the sugar babes vids

That is one slammin' collection Lee. Love the Jacques Villegle, Self Portrait.

Thanks for sharing!

westley, anybody with a collection like that can be facebook friend of mine

No never liked the image but it is now growing on me and my ex took the laugh now

She also took a girl with balloon but i got another one . She only wanted them as she knew how much i liked them