Banksy authentication is handled by Pest Control Office, the only source of Banksy certificates of authenticity (COAs). For a work that already has a COA, its official pre-purchase service can check the artwork and certificate before payment. If there is no COA, the owner must apply for authentication. Start with the Pest Control FAQ and the check or register artwork service.
A signature, familiar image or seller’s certificate cannot establish the same thing. Authentication, ownership history and condition each need to correspond to the exact object being offered.
Selected work: Girl With A Balloon (unsigned).
Catalogue examples include Girl With A Balloon (unsigned), Barcode (unsigned) and GDP Rat. Browse the Banksy collection and ask about the status and documentation of the exact work that interests you.
What is Pest Control Office?
Pest Control Office is the body established to authenticate Banksy works. Its process matters because the artist’s anonymity and the popularity of the imagery create fertile ground for misdescription and forgery. A certificate relates to a specific object; names, images and edition details should correspond, and buyers should understand how ownership records are transferred where applicable.
What a certificate cannot replace
Authentication addresses authorship, not condition, value or suitability for purchase. A certified print may still be faded, creased, trimmed or poorly restored. Review the physical work, invoice, provenance and return terms separately. Treat photocopies, seller-made certificates and unverifiable claims with caution, and never assume that a COA from an unrelated business carries Pest Control’s authority.
Looking more closely
Pest Control’s certificate is the market’s central authentication document, but it should sit within a complete description of the object. Edition number, dimensions, paper, signature status and condition still need to agree with the work being offered. Buyers should also confirm that the certificate transfers with the print and that any framing or restoration history is disclosed before purchase.
Why Banksy requires a specialist system
Banksy’s anonymity, the public nature of his practice and the global circulation of his images create an unusual authentication problem. A motif may be familiar without a particular object being authorised. Street images are photographed and reproduced constantly, while prints, canvases, posters and unofficial copies can appear superficially similar online.
Pest Control Office keeps Banksy’s artwork records and describes itself as the artist’s sole point of contact. For a collector, that makes its documentation central. A seller’s confidence, a persuasive story or a certificate produced by an unrelated gallery cannot replace it.
Reading the certificate against the work
A certificate should not be viewed in isolation. The identifying information must correspond to the physical object: title, image, medium, dimensions, edition number and signature status where relevant. Check that labels, numbering and other marks are consistent, and ask how the certificate will transfer with the sale.
Photographs of a certificate are not the same as possession of the original document. Buyers should also be alert to attempts to pair genuine paperwork with a different object. The purpose of due diligence is to establish that the artwork and its documentation form one coherent record.
Authentication is not a condition report
Pest Control authentication addresses authorship; it does not promise that an artwork is free from damage or that its price is appropriate. Paper can fade, cockle, crease or suffer from unsuitable mounting. Ink can be abraded, surfaces can be cleaned or retouched, and a frame can conceal sheet edges and edition marks.
Request a separate condition report and, for a significant purchase, consider independent examination. The report should distinguish inherent production characteristics from later damage and disclose restoration. Condition has both aesthetic and commercial consequences even when authenticity is secure.
Provenance, invoice and seller description
Provenance records the work’s history of ownership and sale. It should be assessed alongside—not instead of—authentication. A strong file may include prior invoices, auction records, correspondence and framing or conservation documentation. Gaps do not automatically invalidate a work, but unexplained inconsistencies deserve attention.
The current invoice matters too. It should state the artist, title, date, medium, dimensions, edition and signature status accurately. Avoid descriptions that blur an authorised print, a canvas edition, a poster and a reproduction. Precision protects both parties and makes later resale or insurance easier.
Common warning signs
- A seller claims that a signature alone proves authenticity.
- The certificate details do not match the object or edition number.
- Only cropped images are provided and the reverse or sheet edges cannot be seen.
- The work is described vaguely as an “original” without a precise medium.
- Pressure is applied to complete the purchase before documentation can be checked.
None of these points should be resolved by guesswork. Pause the transaction and establish the facts before funds change hands.
A collector’s sequence
First identify the exact object. Second confirm Pest Control documentation. Third review provenance and seller title. Fourth assess condition independently. Finally compare price with genuinely comparable examples. Following that sequence prevents fame or familiarity from replacing evidence.
Check whether the object falls within the service
Pest Control's official FAQ distinguishes artworks for which it issues certificates from categories such as posters, stickers and defaced currency. It also states that it does not certify illegally executed work. A collector should therefore identify the object before assuming that every Banksy-related item can or should carry the same form of documentation.
This does not justify attaching an unrelated certificate to an ineligible object. It means the category and the evidence need to be described honestly. A poster should be sold as a poster, with whatever publication information is available. An artwork represented as eligible for Pest Control authentication should be checked through the appropriate official process, not through a seller's imitation of it.
How do you check a Banksy before buying?
Pest Control’s check or register artwork page separates three situations. Choose the route that matches the transaction:
- The work already has a COA and you intend to buy it. Use “Check Before You Buy” before paying for the artwork. Pest Control checks its records and liaises with the seller.
- The work has no COA. The owner needs to submit an authentication request. A pending application is not a completed authentication.
- You have already bought a certified work. Pest Control recommends registering the change of ownership through its official service.
These services involve fees. Check the current procedure and terms directly with Pest Control; a gallery cannot promise its outcome or turnaround. Agree with the seller which original documents will accompany the work, and keep the resulting confirmation with your purchase record.
Send identifying details through the official channel rather than publishing complete certificate images online. If the seller will not participate in the relevant checks, leave that question unresolved and pause the purchase.
Ask about the paperwork for a particular Banksy
If you are considering a work in our Banksy selection, send us its listing link and ask which original documents accompany that exact example. Request current condition photographs as well. Authentication, ownership history and the physical state of the sheet are separate questions, and each deserves a clear answer.
Enquire about a Banksy listing or email the gallery. Browse the Banksy listings for individual work details.
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