Flying Copper (unsigned)

The auction history of Flying Copper (unsigned) offers one of the clearest examples of how the Banksy print market distinguishes between strong collector images and true cultural icons. The work is unmistakably Banksy: a riot police officer is given angel wings and a yellow smiley face, turning the machinery of authority into a ridiculous, almost toy-like apparition. It is funny, menacing, absurd, and politically sharp at the same time.

Before the pandemic-era expansion, Flying Copper traded within a relatively modest but stable range. In 2019, most results fell between approximately $13,000 and $20,000, with a median around $18,702. At that stage, the print was already well known among Banksy collectors, but it was still positioned as an accessible edition rather than a trophy work.

The market changed dramatically in 2020. As demand for Banksy prints accelerated, Flying Copper was pulled into the speculative expansion with considerable force. Several results exceeded $85,000, and the December 2020 Forum Auctions sale at approximately $116,715 marked the strongest result in the dataset. Phillips Hong Kong also achieved approximately $106,000 that same month, confirming that the market strength was not isolated to one auction.

The boom continued into 2021, although prices became more uneven. Results ranged from the low $40,000s to nearly $90,000, with a 2021 median around $70,780. This confirmed that Flying Copper had meaningfully repriced during the broader Banksy frenzy, even if it did not reach the heights of Girl With Balloon, Love Is In The Air, or Choose Your Weapon.

The correction began in 2022. While the year still produced one exceptional SBI Art Auction result at approximately $104,810, most sales had already moved into a lower range between roughly $25,000 and $55,000. By 2023, the market had softened further, generally trading between $20,000 and $36,000. In 2024 and 2025, the work stabilized close to the $16,000–$23,000 range.

In 2025, the median price is approximately $19,465. This is only modestly above the 2019 pre-boom level, showing that most of the speculative premium has disappeared. That does not mean Flying Copper lacks importance. On the contrary, the image remains one of Banksy’s sharpest visual contradictions: an authoritarian figure presented as both angelic and absurd, threatening and childish, faceless and smiling.

The market lesson is more subtle. Flying Copper is a respected Banksy image, but it has not achieved the same broad public recognition as Girl With Balloon or Love Is In The Air. During speculative markets, that distinction matters less; during corrections, it matters enormously. Collectors become more selective, and the strongest value retention concentrates around the most iconic images. Liquidity remains relatively strong. The work appears regularly across major and specialist auction houses, including Sotheby’s, Christie’s, Phillips, Bonhams, Forum Auctions, Tate Ward, SBI Art Auction, and others. This suggests continued collector demand, but at a more disciplined valuation level.

Key Takeaways

1. Flying Copper (unsigned) experienced a dramatic pandemic-era expansion, rising from a 2019 range around $13,000–$20,000 to peak results above $100,000.
2. The December 2020 Forum Auctions result at approximately $116,715 represents the high-water mark of the dataset and should be understood as a peak-cycle result rather than a sustainable benchmark.
3. The market corrected sharply after 2021, with 2024–2025 results returning close to the pre-pandemic range.
4. The work remains liquid and conceptually strong, but it behaves more like a collector’s Banksy than a broad-market trophy image.
5. Current prices suggest a more rational and sustainable market, driven by established collector interest rather than speculative momentum.

Flying Copper is therefore an important case study within the Banksy print market. It shows that a work can be visually brilliant, conceptually strong, and historically relevant while still retaining less speculative value than the artist’s most universally recognized images.

Flying Copper (signed)

The auction history of Flying Copper (signed) reveals a market that has followed the broader Banksy cycle while remaining considerably stronger than its unsigned counterpart. Featuring a smiling riot policeman equipped with angel wings, the image is one of Banksy’s most memorable visual contradictions, transforming authority into satire and aggression into absurdity.

Before the pandemic-era boom, the signed edition traded around $50,000, already reflecting its status as a desirable Banksy print. The market accelerated sharply in 2020 and reached its peak in March 2021 when Forum Auctions achieved approximately $158,320, the highest result in the dataset. Like many Banksy editions, Flying Copper benefited from the extraordinary demand that swept through the market during this period. The correction began in 2022, although prices remained relatively robust compared with many unsigned editions. The work achieved approximately $104,105 at SBI Art Auction in 2022 before gradually normalizing. By 2023, results ranged between roughly $44,000 and $76,000, while the two recorded sales in 2025 settled around $38,000–$41,000.

The key observation is that Flying Copper (signed) has retained value significantly better than the unsigned edition. While the unsigned version has largely returned to its pre-pandemic levels, the signed edition continues to command a meaningful premium and remains firmly positioned within the mid-tier of the Banksy print market. Overall, Flying Copper (signed) illustrates the difference between a strong collector favorite and a true blue-chip Banksy image. The work continues to enjoy healthy demand and liquidity, but the market ultimately reserves its highest premiums for Banksy’s most universally recognized compositions.

2026 Auction Results

2025 Auction Results

# Lots sold: 6 Lots
Average Price: GBP 14,395 (USD 19,385)

XXXXXXXXXX

2024 Auction Results

# Lots sold: 3 Lots
# Lots passed: 2 Lots
Average Price: GBP 15,445 (USD 19,775)

XXXXXXXXXX

2023 Auction Results

# Lots sold: 6 Lots
# Lots passed: 1 Lot
Average Price: GBP 23,560 (USD 28,905)

XXXXXXXXXX

2022 Auction Results

# Lots sold: 11 Lots
# Lots passed: 1 Lot
Average Price: GBP 38,770 (USD 49,390)

XXXXXXXXXX

2018 Auction Results

Prior Years Auction Results

2025 Auction Results

2024 Auction Results

Flying Copper (signed) has not sold at auction in 2024.

2023 Auction Results

2021 Auction Results