if we found out who he is the prices would probably drop imo

Jordan and peter andre begin collecting his work!

i know there has been much talk of unlimited print runs, but what do people think will happen to prices when Banksy does an unlimited screenprint (as opposed to a lithograph like soup cans), considering that many people may just want to own a banksy print?

Ay the end of the day i dont think his prices will ever drop, they will just continue too rise!

Now if someone was to set up a contract on him we could all make some cash! ;D

If it was found out he was really........................dum dum dum.....Tracy Emin!

Interesting point, I guess on one hand it would take out of the market lots of people who at the moment have to fork out more than they want just because it's limited, when they're not concerned about that, and therefore that will take some demand away for the ltd run.

On the otherhand serious collectors and investors may carry on the same and still out number supply for the limited editions and therefore not effect price at all as it will be looked upon as two completely different products. In fact due to the increased exposure to quality prints it could bring in more people who want part of the special limited runs.

Has there been examples of this happening for other artists in the past?

It wouldn't surprise me if they already do.

I often wonder who now buys signed Banksy's in the secondary market??? I have no doubt the vast majority go to galleries, investors and very serious collectors. Though, they'll obviously all have spent some time considering who the potential target market is to sell on to. Given the sums of money now involved, I can only imagine that they are targeting young celebs and the seriously wealthy. (Before anyone starts - I know there are people on here who have effectively been forced to buy on the secondary market - I'm sure for some it's peanuts and for others it's a huge investment which took serious consideration).

Either way, we all know that owning art has become very trendy again. I read recently that Mr David Beckham (the king of cool ) has engaged a consultant to help him invest in an art collection. There were no details in the article about what art they're considering, but I wouldn't be at all surprised to see Banksy on the list. Look at the A-Listers who have attended recent shows. If Brad & Ange think Banksy's work is great, it wouldn't surprise me to hear that Posh & Becks aren't far behind and then it's only a very small leap to Peter and Jordan.

can i just say i'd love to see the bottom fall out of this market...too many ppl in it for the wrong reasons... and yes i'd lose money having paid wayyyy too much money (in my eye's) for unsigned works but doing so because I really want some of his work.

the debates that go round and round , this is worth this and how much is this worth, really depress me

(can u tell I'm having utterly cak day at work? )

I think these sorts of prints being held have been sold already I cant see any mass sale ever happening now. When you look about at some of the galleries, Most of them only have a couple of Banksy pieces available

have to agree with the above, these are the only reasons that we may see prices fall.

Agreed. This is the other main reason I could see prices dropping.

I do agree that most of the galleries we talk about only appear to have a limited stock of Banksy's. Though, if you've followed Ebay sales - a small number of buyers seem to be buying a lot of prints, including many duplicates. Where are all these prints going?

Moreover, there are fair few "old timers" who have been following Banksy and POW from the beginning and knew a good thing when they saw it. Not only did they really like Banksy's work, but spotted the potential and stocked up. It's a horrible thing to admit in the current climate, but I probably would have done the same thing if I'd had the money at the time.

IMO the fact that Banksy prints sat around at POW without being sold for months and even years evidences this. It was almost over night that the gold rush started and all of the signed prints sold out, closely followed by the unsigned. I simply don't believe that all of the prints went to fans who who were buying single copies. Only POW really know, but my hunch is there are plenty of folks still sitting on multiples.

Now obviously all of these individuals have a vested interested in not undermining the market by flooding it. Though, if their personal circumstances change or they see the market topping out for some reason, it's going to take some very strong nerves for these folks not to start selling up.

I may be completely wrong, but something tells me I'm not. I've got a fair few Banksy prints and no interest in seeing the market crash. Though, I do think people really need to think seriously before spending £4K+ on a signed print; particularly, when you look at what else is available out there for a fraction of the cost (including signed prints from more established artists). The value of Banksy's may well double in the next year, though it's also possible they could be worth half as much.

Creases

If he turned out to be a peado... that would harm his prices I'm sure of it.