Gauntlet Gallery — Banksy Prints
Because I'm Worthless (Unsigned)
Work Summary & Collector Notes
"Because I'm Worthless" depicts one of Banksy's signature stenciled rats standing upright, holding aloft a protest placard scrawled with the red hand-lettered slogan "BECAUSE I'M WORTHLESS" while wearing a CND peace-symbol pendant around its neck. It is a quintessential example of Banksy's rat motif from his most prolific stencil period, casting his recurring street-vermin everyman as a self-deprecating protester.
Collector notes: Edition; saved release record states an edition size of 50. Edition-specific signature, numbering, and stamp details were not stated in the saved release record. Verify signing and numbering against a documented example of this edition.
Why It Matters
The rat is Banksy's most enduring alter-ego, an anagram of "art" and a symbol of the urban underclass that thrives unwanted and ignored in the city's margins. By arming this rat with a placard reading "Because I'm Worthless," Banksy fuses anti-establishment protest imagery with bleak self-mockery, turning the act of demonstration into a comment on feeling powerless and disposable within a consumer society. The CND peace symbol explicitly ties the figure to anti-war and protest culture, making the print a compact statement of the disenfranchised dissent that runs through Banksy's early work.
Collector Perspective
This is the unsigned variant from an edition of 50, published during Banksy's Pictures on Walls (POW) era. Within Banksy's catalogue, an edition of 50 is small, but the print exists in both signed and unsigned forms, and the unsigned version sits well below signed examples in value because signed Banksy prints command a substantial premium and stronger collector demand. As an entry point into an iconic Banksy rat image, the unsigned edition offers the recognizable imagery at a lower tier than its signed counterpart.
Historical Context
Produced in 2004, during what is often called Banksy's Stencil Boom era, the print belongs to the prolific run of rat-themed works he issued as his street reputation crossed into the gallery and print market. The rat had been a fixture of his Bristol and London street stencils since the early 2000s, and prints like this one translated that vocabulary into editioned form through Pictures on Walls. The placard-bearing, peace-badge-wearing rat connects directly to the protest and anti-war sentiment prevalent in Banksy's mid-2000s output.
Documented Release Details
- Object type
- Editioned screenprint
- Release date
- 2004
- Release-date note
- Catalog-listed release year from the saved secondary record; primary release-page confirmation remains pending.
- Medium and materials
- Screen Print.
- Edition details
- Edition; saved release record states an edition size of 50.
- Signature and marks
- Edition-specific signature, numbering, and stamp details were not stated in the saved release record. Verify signing and numbering against a documented example of this edition.
Documented History and Meaning
History note: This page treats Banksy's broader career as background context, not proof that this specific edition belongs to any single exhibition or event. Release-level facts here come from a saved secondary catalog record.
Meaning / interpretation: Read as documented context rather than stated intent: Produced in 2004, during what is often called Banksy's Stencil Boom era, the print belongs to the prolific run of rat-themed works he issued as his street reputation crossed into the gallery and print market. This is an interpretive reading of the release context, not a statement of the artist's intent for this specific work. This interpretive note follows the cited artist or publisher context.
Release context: The saved catalog lists 2004.
Authentication, Presentation and Provenance
- Original presentation
- Original packaging or presentation was not documented in the release sources reviewed.
- Authentication note
- Compare the support, dimensions, edition number, and signature against a documented example of this edition. Gauntlet Gallery does not authenticate works purchased from third parties.
- Provenance note
- Edition origin is attributed in the saved record to the release source named in the saved record. That does not establish the ownership history of an individual copy: retain the original invoice, reseller or gallery paperwork, labels, correspondence, and condition photographs.
Sources and Verification
Verification status: Secondary catalog snapshot; artist-level context added
- Banksy — Wikipedia · reference encyclopedia · Accessed 2026-07-13 · General artist-level biographical and career reference.
- Banksy (Q133600) — Wikidata · reference knowledge base · Accessed 2026-07-13 · Structured identifier used for the artist across catalog metadata.
FAQ
What does this print depict?
An upright stenciled rat holding a protest placard hand-lettered in red with the slogan 'BECAUSE I'M WORTHLESS,' wearing a CND peace-symbol pendant around its neck.
How large is the edition?
The edition size is 50.
Is this print signed?
No. This is the unsigned variant. Banksy issued the image in both signed and unsigned forms, and the unsigned version typically trades below signed examples.
What medium is it?
It is a screen print (silkscreen).
Who is Banksy?
Banksy is an anonymous England-based street artist who emerged from Bristol in the early 1990s, known for fast stencil work, dark humour, and anti-war, anti-capitalist, and anti-establishment imagery, with recurring motifs including rats, monkeys, and riot police.
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