$81,000 Banksy print destroyed in bid to double its value, now worth $2

  • 10/10/2018
Banksy's Girl With A Balloon
Banksy's Girl With A Balloon Photo credit: Getty.

A Banksy print allegedly worth more than £40,000 (NZ$81,000) has been shredded in an attempt to double its value.

Experts say the destruction of the print has made it worthless, according to the Daily Mail.

The unnamed owner of a limited edition 'Girl With A Balloon' print contacted art experts wanting to sell his destroyed work after supposedly shredding it with a craft knife.

The act comes after the original 'Girl With A Balloon' painting was shredded at a Sotherby's auction last week, a stunt that drew international media attention.

Originally sold for NZ$2.1 million, experts say the shredded painting may have doubled in value due to the significance of the event.

It was reported Banksy was behind the stunt.

The copycat seller requested their print be listed for a minimum of NZ$162,000, double its original value, but experts said the print was now only worth around NZ$2, the Daily Mail reports.

Art experts have called its destruction "a crying shame", and said "we strongly recommend nobody else takes valuable art and tries to cash in on what history will judge a simply brilliant stunt", according to the Daily Mail.

The print was one of only 600 mint condition prints in the world.

Newshub.