Offered is a Banksy "Di-Faced" English 10-Pound Note. Banksy released the first Di-Faced Tenners by dropping suitcases full of these counterfeit notes into the crowds at the Notting Hill Carnival, Reading Festival, and Liverpool Street tube station at rush hour in 2004. In true Banksy fashion, the release of the notes was orchestrated in a way that created a frenzy of excitement and disruption. Later that year, a second ‘suitcase’ release was put together for Banksy’s Santa’s Ghetto exhibition at Lazarides Gallery, along with a limited-edition series of screenprints featuring five notes. The offered note is actually accompanied by a letter from Steve Lazarides of the Laz Consultancy that states "Banksy Di-Faced Tenner - I can confirm that this Di-Faced Tenner once belonged to me."
Banksy is a pseudonymous England-based street artist, political activist and film director whose real name and identity remain unconfirmed and the subject of speculation. Active since the 1990s, his satirical street art and subversive epigrams combine dark humour with graffiti executed in a distinctive stenciling technique. His works of political and social commentary have appeared on streets, walls and bridges throughout the world.
At first, the Di-Faced Tenner looks almost identical to a traditional £10 note, apart from the swapped portraits. But on closer inspection, Banksy has altered a few more key parts. Instead of ‘Bank of England’ at the top, the note reads ‘Banksy of England’.Directly underneath, in a sharp comment on the fate of Princess Diana, arguably at the hands of the media, reads “I promise to pay the bearer on demand the ultimate price”. On the back, underneath the portrait of Charles Darwin, Banksy has included the ominous statement of “Trust No One”. The note measures 5 5/8 x 3 inches and presents in Near Mint condition.