[lock]

hi, i own a rat print(unsigned) that i bought from ebay from a seller from america (stamped and numbered)

how can i get POW to provide me with authenticity as the seller did not have original POW reciept and he was second owner.

thanks

james

[becksaboo]

Do you know the name of the first owner?

just email Dora and explain your situation- i've always found her to be really helpful.

[policeaware]

lock said:

hi, i own a rat print(unsigned) that i bought from ebay from a seller from america (stamped and numbered)

how can i get POW to provide me with authenticity as the seller did not have original POW reciept and he was second owner.

thanks

james

Like Becks says, the way it works is you need to tell POW the name of the person who bought it from POW & the number of the print. POW will then confirm that it is correct/incorrect.

If you was then to sell the print on then you would need to tell the new owner the name of the original buyer. Ownership is not transferred on POWs records and they only provide this service as a favour & when they have time. Better to make inquiries via email rather than over the phone so you'll have a record of their reply.

[tadghostal]

I also like to obtain a paper trail from the seller of all prints I buy so it will be available to any buyers in the future. One way to do so is to capture the ebay auction that you won via screenshot, pdf or plain old printing out a hard copy; I would also do this with emails confirming you won, you paid, and any correspondence between you and the seller.

Properly, "provenance" does not simply refer to authenticating the print, but providing a history that can be traced back directly to the artist. You> Previous Owner(s)>Gallery/Source>Artist. Make this path back to its origin clear and easy to establish, and you're good to go.

POW is one very important piece of the puzzle, and most often would be enough. But there is always the specter of possibility that a person along the chain could possibly forge a Banksy print (should they become valuable enough), or obtain a backdoor copy and use a number and name they know will be confirmed by POW. Essentially, all POW does is confirm that A print with certain numbers was sold to A certain person. It does not confirm that you, in fact, are in possession of that precise print.

I doubt counterfeit Banksys are a problem as of yet, but its possible. And if prices continue along the route that they are, it would be very attractive to counterfeiters, some of whom would be very very thorough in producing a convincing fake. This is where having a solid, step by step path back to origin is essential.


BTW, I learned that bit about "back to origin" while watching "Who the *!##& is Jackson Pollock?!" this weekend. Its a great flick. Somebody on one of these forums recommended it, and I am glad to have listened.

[Coach]

good idea to get signed letter from person you buy from transfering ownership to you. (and saying who they bought it from). helps build clear passage of ownership. even if bought on ebay (or especially).

[BONGO]

BONGO WORRIED THAT POW MAY NOT HAVE CONSIDERED THE RAMIFICATION OF THE DATA PROTECTION ACT FOR BOTH DATA RETENTION AND EFFECTIVE DISSEMINATION OF AFOREMENTIONED DATA TO THIRD PARTIES WITHOUT EXPLICIT WRITTEN CONSENT.

BONGO WORRIED THAT POW MAY BE UNAWARE OF POTENTIAL PENALTIES FOR SUCH FAVOURS THEY PERFORM.

BONGO THINK THAT MAYBE POW SHOULD PERFORM REVIEW OF THEIR ADHERENCE OF DPA TO ENSURE THEY KEEP TO LETTETR OF THE LAW

BONGO SCARED

[bristolmassive]

dora got back to me within the hour when I needed confirmation to the history to my grannies. Top chick ;D

[paulah]

Who's been dissing Bongo?

[BONGO]

BONGO KONWS WHERE THEY LIVE.

BONGO POLISH TOFFEE HAMMER FOR IMMINENT ACTION

[poofly]

bristolmassive said:

dora got back to me within the hour when I needed confirmation to the history to my grannies. Top chick ;D

You got an email address for Dora?

I tried asking about a couple of prints a while back but got no response.....

[bristolmassive]

[e-mail]

[poofly]

Cheers Massive.

[slowmo]

Third party is unaffected by this. As you are the person stating the person who is the registered owner, it would imply that the owner has given consent for their details to be checked, otherwise how else would you be able to name the original owner.

[Tyler Durden]

Interesting thread - thanks for the info on this..

[stuey09]

bongo said:

BONGO KONWS WHERE THEY LIVE.

BONGO POLISH TOFFEE HAMMER FOR IMMINENT ACTION

Don't know why, and no apologies pckt75 or whatever your name is, but this post really did make me Laugh out Loud. ;D Bongo, you're a nut ;D

[streetgirl]

hi, i own a rat print(unsigned) that i bought from ebay from a seller from america (stamped and numbered)

how can i get POW to provide me with authenticity as the seller did not have original POW reciept and he was second owner.

thanks

james

I guess this asks another question, how many of us would be willing to purchase a print without POW provenance (but the trail of previous ebay owners/sellers)?

[numusic]

streetgirl said:

hi, i own a rat print(unsigned) that i bought from ebay from a seller from america (stamped and numbered)

how can i get POW to provide me with authenticity as the seller did not have original POW reciept and he was second owner.

thanks

james

I guess this asks another question, how many of us would be willing to purchase a print without POW provenance (but the trail of previous ebay owners/sellers)?

A banksy's a banksy's, unless it's not satisfy yourself it's genuine and not a backdoor with a number added and you'll be fine.

All this provenance talk is getting way over the top methinks.. A real Banksy is pretty easy to judge. Provenance is the trail. Even if POW say yes, that print was sold to that store/person. Who's to say that person/store didn't also buy a backdoor and stick a number on it ? Unfortunately POW prov is no more solid than any other prov. But.. both equally good IMO.

[lellyb]

I purchased from a gallery recently and was given a receipt with all the details on including the number of the print. Is this sufficient provenance, or should I attempt to obtain further provenance from POW?