A Banksy Investment Guide

While the figures suggest a market softening on paper, it is more accurately a correction from previous unsustainable highs. Banksy’s prints continue to hold strong investment appeal, now offering greater stability and long-term potential, much like other leading artists.

In this investment report, we analyse Banksy’s print market performance over the past seven years. Using auction and sales data from our dedicated database focused on prints and editions, we aim to provide data-driven insights to help you assess whether investing in Banksy prints is the right choice for you.

What Happened In Banksy's Print Market Performance In 2024?

Since its peak, Banksy’s print market has undergone a notable correction, with declines in both sales value and the number of lots sold. However, this is only part of the story - his market remains far from diminished. As outlined in our Collector’s Guide to 2025, Banksy’s most iconic works continue to appear at auction, consistently attracting collectors and demonstrating value growth YoY.

In 2024, Girl With Balloon - Banksy’s most recognisable print - appeared at auction multiple times, showing a steady increase in value with a sale in New Zealand surpassing previous 2023 results. Even more recently, in early 2025, during Phillips' first January Editions sale, an unsigned version of the print sold for just over £88,000, following the same trend and outperforming unsigned sales in 2024. While these results may not have reached the record-breaking highs of the market’s peak, they remain strong indicators of sustained demand and long-term investment potential.

Other sought-after prints have become increasingly scarce, with their rarity driving strong auction results and reinforcing their market appeal. A prime example is Kate Moss (2005) in its original colourway, which resurfaced in 2024 and sold for £101,600 with fees. While this represents a roughly 50% decline from its 2022 value, it underscores lucrative buying opportunities for Banksy collectors while still holding long-term investment potential. Other works with iconic imagery, such as the rare colourways from Banksy’s Choose Your Weapon series - referencing one of his most infamous street stencils in Bermondsey - continues to draw significant interest, particularly at auction houses beyond Christie’s, Sotheby’s, and Phillips.

What Is The Average Value Of Banksy Prints?

The average selling price (ASP) in Banksy's print market saw a sharp decline in 2024, reflecting a shift towards lower-value prints and a reduced presence of high-value works at public auctions. This trend aligns with broader market conditions in 2024, where cautious sentiment influenced the auction market. Many sellers opted for private transactions or chose to hold onto high-value pieces, anticipating more favourable selling conditions in the future.

For buyers, a dip in average value can present an opportune moment to enter the market, especially when purchasing works with blue chip status and iconic imagery. While prices may fluctuate, the enduring appeal and cultural significance of Banksy’s prints ensure their long-term value retention.

Top Performing Print Works In Banksy’s 2024 Market

Banksy’s print collections display varying performances in terms of lots sold and total sales value. While few collections achieve a perfect balance between these factors, they collectively offer insights into the availability of specific prints on the market and the prices they command.

Girl With Balloon dominates the market, generating a staggering £977,510 in total sales value - more than four times the value of the following series. This series remains Banksy’s most iconic and sought-after print, serving as a cornerstone of his market.

Other high-performing series, such as Banksquiat (£232,560), Pulp Fiction (£207,410), and Choose Your Weapon (£196,713), also demonstrated significant demand, showcasing a robust market for a range of Banksy’s themes.

In terms of lots sold, HMV led with 12 prints auctioned in 2024, reflecting its high circulation and accessibility to a broader collector base. Meanwhile, Girl With Balloon, despite its dominance in sales value, also achieved strong volume, with 10 lots sold, highlighting its dual appeal as both a high-value and widely circulated series. Other series like I Fought The Law, Pulp Fiction, and Trolleys each sold 10 lots, reflecting steady collector interest and availability.

Collections such as Weston Super Mare and CND Soldiers, saw fewer lots sold but retained consistent appeal, emphasising the role of rarity and availability in shaping collector demand.

Banksy Signed And Unsigned Print Value

Over the past seven years, unsigned Banksy prints have consistently exceeded signed prints in terms of lots sold, while maintaining competitive sales values. During Banksy's peak years in 2020 and 2021, the sales value of unsigned prints accounted for 40% of his print market. This percentage decreased to 35% in 2022 but rebounded to 40% in 2023. Despite fluctuations, the sales value of unsigned Banksy prints remains significant, partly due to a consistent higher availability within the market.

When examining the ASP of Banksy's signed and unsigned prints over the seven-year period, it becomes evident that prices have significantly decreased for both categories. The value of unsigned prints became inflated, just as signed prints did during Banksy's peak market years. This inflation was most noticeable in 2021, where 300 unsigned lots were sold, yet the ASP remained comparable to the previous year when only 200 unsigned lots were sold.

More recently, there has been a decline in the ASP of both signed and unsigned Banksy prints. The ASP for unsigned prints decreased by -22% from 2022 to 2023, which, although a decline, is less severe than the previous year's change of -30% from 2021 to 2022. This suggests a slowdown in the rate of decline for unsigned prints, while the decline in ASP for signed prints remains more pronounced.

When considering the purchase of a Banksy print, whether signed or unsigned, it's important to recognise that signed prints are typically regarded as the hero pieces and present less volatility for resale.
Ensuring fair market value (FMV) and maintaining transparency is crucial. Seeking guidance from experts such as Florence Whittaker from MyArtBroker and utilising cutting-edge Art Tech tools like MyArtBroker's bespoke value indicator accessible through MyPortfolio can be invaluable. Despite the current downturn in auction figures for Banksy's print market, online sales still present promising opportunities for both buyers and sellers.

The Most In-Demand Banksy Prints Within Our Network

Banksy's prints consistently generate high demand on our live Trading Floor. Buying or selling a Banksy print online can offer advantages over traditional auction houses for two main reasons. Firstly, it allows us to ensure FMV by avoiding the inflated or deflated values often seen in public markets. Secondly, Pest Control certificates of authentication represent the pinnacle of authenticity for Banksy prints, which alleviates the need, as seen with other blue chip works, to view in person to verify authenticity.

Hero works such as CYW, Girl With Balloon, and Love Is in The Air typically experience heightened demand on our trading floor. Rare colourways of these works, including hand-finished versions and Artist Proofs (APs), are seldom made available publicly. Florence emphasises the significance of these pieces in a podcast, “These are the iconic pieces with very limited edition numbers. These are the works we haven't really seen a significant dip in because there aren't that many, and people aren't selling them publicly very often.”

Browse Banksy prints on the Trading Floor and find out more about the print market growth on the MAB100 Print Index.

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Request a free and zero obligation valuation with our team without hesitation. Track your prints & editions with MyPortfolio.

Seven Blue Chip Artists Markets To Know

The chart above illustrates Banksy's ASP in the print market over seven years, alongside six other well-established blue chip artists known for their strong performance in prints and editions.

In 2020 and 2021, Banksy's ASP exceeded that of Andy Warhol, reaching £53,000 and £60,000. In the following years, although Banksy's ASP declined, it continues to outperform other blue chip artists such as Keith Haring and Roy Lichtenstein, both of whom had successful print market performances in 2023.

While the ASP of an artists market is largely influenced by the supply and demand for artworks in a given year, it's noteworthy that the ASP of Banksy's print market has shown consistency and limited fluctuations. This stability and limited variation indicate a degree of investment stability and the potential for a market correction, as it suggests a level of resilience and predictability in the market.

Where to Start When Looking to Buy A Banksy Print

The price distribution of Banksy's print market based on lots sold in 2023 shows that at the uppermost tier of this price range, 5% of Banksy prints were sold for over £90,000. These prints represent the pinnacle of Banksy's print market, characterised by their exclusivity and the ability to consistently command premium prices. Prints from iconic series sit within this small category, including Girl With Balloon, Thrower, CYW, and Nola. One explanation for the consistent high sales value of these prints is attributed to scarcity in the market, but also the imagery in each which offers unapologetic criticism of political and cultural issues that initially gained recognition when they were stencilled on the streets before being produced as limited edition prints.

Listen to MyArtBroker's, Banksy's Anti-War activism - Murals & Prints

Banksy prints ranging from above £50,000 to £90,000, include a variety of signed and unsigned versions belonging to series including Pulp Fiction, Laugh Now, and Barcode. These prints have consistently retained their market value, as evident from their prominent placement in our MAB100 print index.

Banksy's prints priced below £50,000 include works like Happy Choppers, Jack & Jill, and Donuts. However, the largest portion of Banksy's print market, comprising 38%, currently falls below £30,000. Buyers can discover a blend of signed and unsigned prints that offer commentary on pop culture and political perspectives, featuring artworks like Morons, Bomb Love and Flying Copper.

Banksy Print Works Below £20,000

Banksy prints priced below £20,000 constituted a significant portion, comprising 25% of his market in 2023. These more accessible prints, primarily unsigned, feature iconic pieces like Grannies, Weston Super Mare, and Have A Nice Day. Grannies stands as a pinnacle of punk works, initially released as part of Banksy's Barely Legal exhibition in Los Angeles, where only 100 signed copies were made available. However, unsigned copies still possess value and authenticity, offering more budget-friendly alternatives. These prints not only provide an entry point for newcomers to the art market but also present an opportunity for seasoned collectors looking to diversify their portfolios.

The Most In-Demand Banksy Prints from Investors

In Banksy's print market its commonly seen that the prints in highest demand often have their roots in a cascade effect that typically starts with the auction of the original work. The most prominent example of this was the infamous shredding of Girl with Balloon at Sotheby's in 2018 and its subsequent resale in 2021. In 2023, Girl with Balloon prints performed as Banksy's top-selling works in signed and unsigned versions.

Other prints that perform favourably in the market are those that carry political undertones. For example, Thrower originally appeared on the wall in Jerusalem shortly after the construction of the West Bank Wall. This limited edition series is one of Banksy's most well-known and its anti-war message has made it a popular choice for investors.

In addition to well-known pieces, lesser-known hand-finished prints also carry their unique appeal. Florence discusses the relevance of Banksy's Dumbo in a podcast and how this print has never appeared on the public market and was only available to exclusive private collectors. Part of a small edition series of 25, this print features hand-finished watercolour elements, making it exceptionally rare and unique. A unique hand-finished print also belongs to Banksy's CYW series where the dogs eyes are spray painted in red against a white background. These unique prints hold higher value in the market and provide valuable insights into market trends for regular editions.

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Recent Market Performance and Current Opportunities

A key consideration when assessing investment opportunities is the market's breadth whereas a wider market has the potential to attract more buyers when it's time to sell. The Major auction houses–Christie's, Sotheby's and Phillips–accounted for less than half of Banksy's print sales value in 2023 demonstrating the extent of market opportunities for buying and selling Banksy prints.

What Makes a Banksy Print Desirable?

Since Banksy prints were initially released for mere hundreds of dollars and now command thousands, the condition of these print works can vary. When considering investments in the Banksy print market, the condition is a crucial factor. Given the prevalence of replicas and counterfeit works in Banksy's market, obtaining a certificate of authenticity from Pest Control is the only way to successfully sell a Banksy print on the market.

The appeal of Banksy print works lies in their unique blend of cultural relevance and exclusivity. Banksy's artistic journey began on the streets with stencilled imagery presented as a commentary on cultural shifts and social injustices. These thought-provoking visuals make his works both poignant and relevant. Banksy's adeptness at leveraging artworks to shed light on contentious issues elevates the artist to the ranks of modern art masters, seamlessly melding urban and street art into art history.

SIGNED BANKSY PRINTS

UNSIGNED BANKSY PRINTS