Banksy 'Monkey Queen': What to Know Before You Buy

Of all the images Banksy has put into print, few are as instantly legible, or as quietly provocative, as Monkey Queen. A regal portrait of Queen Elizabeth II with the face of a chimpanzee, it lands somewhere between a punchline and a state portrait. For collectors, it is also one of the artist's earlier and more recognisable screen prints, which makes it a frequent subject of questions, and a frequent subject of confusion.

If you are thinking about buying Monkey Queen, you are really asking several different questions at once. Is it signed or unsigned? Is the edition right? Are the colours and condition acceptable? And, above all, can it be authenticated through the channels the market actually trusts? Those are the right questions, and this guide is built to answer them in plain language.

We will not tell you what the print will be worth next year, because nobody honestly can. What we can do is give you the context, the vocabulary, and the verification steps a careful buyer uses before money changes hands. At Gauntlet Gallery we have approached the secondary market this way since 2012: collectors first, education before the sale, and a clear-eyed view of what is known versus what is assumed.

What is 'Monkey Queen' and what is it actually saying?

Monkey Queen is a Banksy screen print depicting Queen Elizabeth II in the conventional pose of a royal portrait, the kind of image you might find on a stamp, a banknote, or a commemorative plate, except the monarch's face has been replaced with that of a chimpanzee. The framing is deadpan and formal. The joke is in the substitution, and the substitution is the whole argument.

The image belongs to Banksy's early-2000s period, when he was rapidly moving from walls and stencils into editioned prints produced through Pictures on Walls (POW), the London print house associated with much of his early studio output. It sits alongside other monarchy-adjacent and establishment-skewering images from the same era, and it shares the artist's signature method of taking a familiar, almost sacred piece of British iconography and undercutting it.

The satire, read carefully

It is tempting to reduce Monkey Queen to a simple insult, but that misses what makes it durable. Banksy is playing with several ideas at once:

• The theatre of monarchy. A royal portrait is designed to project continuity, dignity and authority. Swapping the face for a primate's pokes at the performance of all of that, while keeping every other signal of grandeur intact.
• Evolution and hierarchy. The chimpanzee is a recurring motif across Banksy's work, often used to question who is really in charge, and to flatten the distance between the powerful and the rest of the animal kingdom.
• British self-deprecation. The image is irreverent, but it is also affectionate in the way a lot of British satire is. It is the kind of joke a nation tells about itself.

The power of Monkey Queen is that it keeps every visual marker of authority and simply changes one thing. The formality does the heavy lifting; the swap delivers the punchline.

For a buyer, the satire matters for a practical reason as well as an intellectual one. Images that are immediately understood, that read across a room and across cultures, tend to hold broad collector recognition. Monkey Queen is firmly in that category. That recognition is part of why it appears so often in conversations about Banksy's print catalogue, and why it is worth understanding before you commit.

Signed versus unsigned: the two editions you need to distinguish

This is the single most important distinction for anyone buying Monkey Queen, and it is where most buyer confusion, and most pricing disputes, begin. As with many Banksy prints from this period, the image was issued in both a signed and an unsigned edition, and the two are not interchangeable.

The signed edition

The signed edition of Monkey Queen is the smaller of the two and carries Banksy's hand signature, typically in pencil, along with edition numbering. The signed run is generally cited as an edition of 150. Signed impressions are the more sought-after of the two formats, and historically they have commanded a meaningful premium over the unsigned version. A hand signature, combined with a smaller print run, is the combination the secondary market tends to reward most.

The unsigned edition

The unsigned edition is larger, generally cited as an edition of 750, and was produced as a more accessible format. Unsigned impressions are not "lesser" in the sense of being inauthentic, they are a legitimate, intended part of the release, but they occupy a different tier of the market and price accordingly. Many collectors begin with an unsigned Banksy precisely because it offers an authenticated, recognisable image at a more approachable entry point.

Why the signed/unsigned gap matters so much

The difference between a signed and an unsigned impression of the same image is not cosmetic. It affects:

• Scarcity. 150 versus 750 is a fivefold difference in how many exist of each format.
• Desirability. A hand signature is, for many collectors, the emotional and market core of owning an original print.
• Price. Signed impressions have historically traded well above unsigned ones, though the precise gap moves over time and you should check live comps.
• Documentation expectations. Both formats can be authenticated, but the paperwork and the price you pay should match the format precisely.

If a listing is vague about whether a print is signed or unsigned, that vagueness is itself a warning. The distinction is fundamental, and any serious seller will state it clearly and back it up.

Size, paper and what a correct impression looks like

Knowing the physical specifications helps you sanity-check a listing before you go any further. Monkey Queen is a screen print on paper, sized in the region of 50 by 70 centimetres (roughly 20 by 27.5 inches), the standard sheet dimensions associated with many Banksy POW-era prints. Always confirm the exact measurements of the specific sheet you are considering, since framing, trimming or simple mislisting can introduce discrepancies.

What to look at on the sheet itself

• The signature, if signed. A pencil signature, usually lower in the margin, accompanied by an edition fraction (for example, a number over the edition size). Compare the position and character of the signature to known, documented examples.
• The numbering. Edition numbering should be consistent with the format. A number written as part of a run of 150 belongs to the signed edition; numbering conventions differ for unsigned impressions and proofs.
• The margins and sheet edges. Original sheets have their own characteristic margins. Trimmed margins, or a sheet that has been cut down to fit a frame, can affect both authentication and value.
• The screen print surface. Screen printing lays down distinct, relatively flat layers of ink. Understanding the difference between a genuine screen print and a photographic or offset reproduction is essential, and it is a topic worth studying before you buy.

Specifications are not proof of authenticity on their own, but they are a fast filter. An impression whose size, signature placement or numbering does not match what is documented deserves far more scrutiny, not less.

Colour and condition: the details that quietly decide value

Two impressions of Monkey Queen can be the same edition and format and still differ significantly in desirability, because of colour and condition. These are the details that experienced buyers examine closely and that newer buyers often overlook.

Colour

Banksy prints from this era can present subtle colour differences between impressions, and over time exposure to light can shift or fade tones. With Monkey Queen, pay attention to:

• Fading. Has the print been displayed in strong light for years? Faded or shifted colour reduces desirability and is often irreversible.
• Consistency. Does the colour match documented examples of the same edition? Significant deviation can indicate a problem, a variant, or a condition issue, and each needs to be understood.
• Variants. Where genuine colour variants or special impressions exist for an image, they are separate categories with their own scarcity. Do not assume an unusual colour is automatically rarer or more valuable, confirm what you are actually looking at.

Condition

Works on paper are vulnerable, and condition can move value substantially. The most common issues to check for are:

• Foxing, the small brown spots caused by mould or impurities in paper, often a result of damp storage.
• Light staining and toning, an overall yellowing or discolouration from age and exposure.
• Creases, handling dents and surface scuffs, especially near the edges and corners.
• Tape, hinge and adhesive residue on the reverse from previous framing, which can stain through over time.
• Trimming, where margins have been cut, sometimes to disguise damage or to fit a frame.
• Restoration, which should always be disclosed; undisclosed restoration is a red flag.

A professional condition report from a qualified paper conservator or a reputable dealer is valuable supporting evidence. It is worth being precise about its role, though: a condition report describes the physical state of the object. It is second-layer information that sits alongside, and never replaces, authentication through Pest Control. A pristine sheet with no Pest Control authentication is still an unauthenticated work.

Demand: how to think about a print this recognisable

Demand for Monkey Queen rests on a few durable foundations. It is an early, iconic Banksy image; it is immediately readable; it carries a clean piece of social satire; and it exists in both a scarce signed edition and a larger unsigned one, which gives the market multiple entry points. Those factors explain why the image is so consistently discussed among collectors of the artist's prints.

That said, demand is not a straight line, and it is important to be honest about that.

• The Banksy print market moves. Like the broader market for editioned street and pop art, it has periods of intense activity and quieter stretches. Many collectors value Monkey Queen highly, and signed impressions can command strong prices, but past performance does not guarantee future results, and you should never buy on the assumption that any specific number will hold or rise.
• Format and condition segment the demand. A signed, well-preserved impression with clean documentation draws a different pool of buyers than a faded unsigned sheet with margin trimming. Treat them as different objects in different markets.
• Comparable sales are your compass. The most reliable read on demand for the exact format and condition you are considering comes from recent comparable sales (comps) of like-for-like impressions, not from headline figures attached to the best example ever sold.

Recognition is not the same as liquidity, and a famous image is not the same as a fair price. The careful buyer separates how well-known a print is from what a comparable impression has actually been selling for.

If you want a fuller picture of how Banksy's editions trade and where the headline numbers come from, our broader editorial coverage of the artist's market is a useful companion to this guide. Use it for context, and use live comps for any specific decision.

Authentication: why Pest Control is the only authority that counts

This is the part of the process where buyers most often go wrong, and it is the part where it costs the most to go wrong. For Banksy, there is one body whose word the market treats as definitive on authenticity, and it is Pest Control.

What Pest Control is

Pest Control is the official authentication office set up to handle Banksy. It is the body that examines works attributed to the artist and, where appropriate, issues authentication documentation, commonly a certificate accompanied by its own security features. In practice, the market treats a Banksy print as properly authenticated when it has been recognised by Pest Control, and treats one without that recognition with caution, regardless of how convincing it looks.

This is worth stating plainly because the Banksy market attracts a large volume of unauthenticated, misattributed and outright fake material. The artist's anonymity and the popularity of the imagery make it fertile ground for confusion. Pest Control exists precisely to cut through that.

Where COAs and condition reports fit

You will see prints offered with a gallery or dealer certificate of authenticity, a condition report, or a stack of supporting paperwork. None of that is worthless, but you must understand its rank:

• Pest Control documentation is the authority. It is the layer the market relies on for Banksy authenticity.
• A dealer or gallery COA is second-layer, supporting evidence. It can corroborate provenance and a seller's confidence, but it does not replace Pest Control, and it should never be presented as if it does.
• A condition report describes physical state. Useful for assessing quality and value, but silent on authenticity in the sense that matters here.

A realistic note on the certificate itself

Because Pest Control documentation is so central, it has itself become a target for forgery, and certificates can be separated from the works they were issued for. So the goal is not simply "does a certificate exist," but "does the genuine Pest Control documentation correspond to this exact impression, and can that link be verified." Treat the paperwork and the print as a matched pair that both need checking, not as a box to tick.

Buyer verification steps: a practical checklist

Here is a sequence a careful buyer can follow before committing to a Monkey Queen. None of these steps is exotic, but together they remove most of the avoidable risk.

1. Confirm the format first. Establish, in writing, whether the impression is signed or unsigned, and which edition it belongs to. Do not proceed on ambiguity.
2. Match the specifications. Check sheet size, signature placement and numbering against documented examples of that format. Flag anything that does not line up.
3. Demand the authentication picture. Ask specifically about Pest Control authentication. Find out whether it exists, what form it takes, and how it ties to this exact impression. Treat absence of Pest Control documentation as a material fact, not a detail.
4. Verify the documentation, do not just admire it. Confirm that any Pest Control paperwork genuinely corresponds to the work in front of you, rather than accepting that a certificate of some kind is present.
5. Trace provenance. Ask for the ownership history and any prior sale records. A clean, coherent provenance trail supports confidence; gaps and vagueness invite questions.
6. Assess condition independently. Get high-resolution images of the full sheet and reverse, and where the value justifies it, an independent condition assessment from a qualified conservator or trusted dealer.
7. Check it against live comps. Compare the asking price to recent sales of the same format and similar condition. Comparable sales, not headline records, tell you whether the price is reasonable.
8. Confirm what you are buying, in writing. Format, edition number, condition disclosures, authentication status and what is included should all be documented as part of the transaction, along with a clear returns position if authentication cannot be confirmed.

The most expensive mistakes in the Banksy market are almost always the ones a buyer could have caught with one more question. Verification is slow on purpose; it is the part that protects you.

Red flags worth taking seriously

• A seller who is vague about signed versus unsigned, or about edition numbers.
• Reliance on a dealer COA while sidestepping the question of Pest Control.
• Prices far below comparable sales, often the signature of something wrong rather than a bargain.
• Reluctance to provide clear images of the signature, numbering and reverse.
• Pressure to move quickly, "another buyer is waiting," before you have completed verification.
• Undisclosed restoration or trimming discovered only after close inspection.

Questions Buyers Ask

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How Gauntlet Gallery Approaches This

Gauntlet Gallery was founded in San Francisco in 2012 on a collectors-first principle: that buyers make better decisions when they understand what they are looking at, and when a gallery is transparent about both what is known and what is uncertain. With a print like Monkey Queen, that means leading with the questions that actually protect a buyer, format, authentication, condition and provenance, rather than leaning on a famous image to do the persuading.

We treat Pest Control as the authority on Banksy authenticity, full stop, and we treat condition reports and supporting certificates as exactly that: supporting. We talk about value in terms of comparable sales and ranges, not promises, because the market moves and past results do not dictate future ones. And we would always rather a buyer ask one more question, or walk away, than rush a decision they cannot fully verify.

If you are weighing a specific impression of Monkey Queen, or simply want help reading a listing and its documentation, you are welcome to browse our Banksy collection or contact our team. There is no pressure to buy, we are happy to help you understand what you are looking at first. This guide is educational and not financial advice; verify any specific impression against Pest Control records and current comparable sales before you commit.