Di-Faced Tenner
A mock £10 note, produced in quantity and originally distributed rather than sold. Almost every assumption that holds elsewhere in the Banksy market — framed sheets, numbered editions, pencil signatures — fails here, which is exactly why it needs its own page.
2004 · A category of one
Edition summary
| Year | 2004 |
|---|---|
| Format | Mock £10 banknote, offset printed. Circulated as single notes and as uncut sheets |
| Edition | Not editioned in the conventional numbered sense |
| Distribution | Originally handed out rather than sold, which is why provenance is often thin |
| Market split | Single notes and full uncut sheets trade as distinct markets, sheets at a substantial premium |
| Authentication | Pest Control certificate required to transact |
Unverified — Details compiled from publicly circulated references and not verified against primary records. This work in particular attracts inconsistent published information — treat any figure you read about it, here or elsewhere, with more than usual caution.
Three things that catch people out
Condition behaves differently. These were made as banknotes and treated as banknotes — pocketed, folded, passed around. A crisp, flat, unhandled example is genuinely uncommon, and the condition spread is wider than for a framed screenprint. Folds that would be catastrophic on a print are ordinary here, which makes grading a specialist judgement rather than a checklist.
Sheets and singles are separate markets. A full uncut sheet is a different object commercially from a single note, and comparables from one tell you very little about the other. Be certain which you are being quoted on.
Provenance is usually weak, and that is normal. Because these were given away rather than invoiced, most examples have no original paperwork. An absent purchase record is not the red flag here that it would be for a numbered screenprint — but it does put the entire weight of the transaction on certification.
On legality, since people ask
Di-Faced Tenners are collected and traded openly through established auction houses and dealers, and are treated as artworks. They are not legal tender and were never intended to pass as money. We are an art advisory rather than a law firm, so if you have a specific concern about reproduced banknote imagery, take your own legal advice rather than ours.
Before you buy or sell one
- Establish single note versus uncut sheet before any price is discussed.
- Get the certification position clear first. With provenance typically thin, the Pest Control certificate carries more of the load here than anywhere else.
- Photograph both sides flat, in daylight, including any folds or handling.
- Be sceptical of published price figures for this work specifically — the reporting is unusually inconsistent.
Keep reading
- Girl with Balloon
- Love Is In The Air
- Rude Copper
- What the reported figures actually show
- Pest Control authentication explained
Edition data on this page is unverified as noted above, and no work described here is offered for sale. Whitebank Fine Art is an art advisory and gallery, not an auction house, and is not affiliated with Banksy, Pest Control, Pictures on Walls or any auction house. Only Pest Control can authenticate a work by Banksy. Nothing here is investment or legal advice.
Single note or full sheet — we will tell you which market you are in. Photographs of both sides, flat, is all we need to start.