Recycling centre staff were left stunned after someone dumped artwork on their doorstep believed to be a BANKSY – worth £thousands.
The artwork was a maroon-coloured plastic suitcase emblazoned with Banksy-style black and white stencilings of rats in each of the bottom corners.
Dan Archer, a director at the Recycling in Ottery St Mary (RIO) yard in Cornwall, insists the suitcase has all the hallmarks of Banksy.
He said: ”I found the suitcase on the corner of our yard on Monday but have no idea how it got there.
”The case could have been left here on Sunday, who knows? It could have been left by Banksy himself for all we know.
”I know his work and the stencils on the suitcase look pretty genuine to me.
”I’ve been consulting books I have of the artist’s work and if they are genuine they could be worth a fortune – thousands of pounds.
”If they are the real thing it will be left up to my fellow directors to decide what to do with it.
”We may end up auctioning it to raise money for RIO which is always in need of money.
”As a non-profit making organisation we have been going for 16 years and we are self-funding. It is not everyday you come across a Banksy creation.
”I’m sure there are plenty of people, including artists eager to view our latest acquisition so we are planning to put the suitcases on show here.”
The elusive Banksy is thought to be a native of Bristol aged around 36.
His street art, which combines graffiti with a distinctive stenciling technique, first started in the Bristol aerosol boom in the 1980s.
If you have studied Banksy you would know that this is clearly not an original. This looks to me like an amateur messing about with cheap stencils brought from ebay!!! Cannot believe that this has made it into the local paper. You should get out more and see the real stuff!!!!!