Gauntlet Gallery — Complete Shepard Fairey Print Index
Scratch On The Wire
Work Summary & Collector Notes
Scratch On The Wire is a 2021 screen print by Shepard Fairey honoring reggae producer and dub pioneer Lee Scratch Perry, who died on August 29, 2021. Published by Obey Giant, it is a 24 x 24 inch screen print on thick cream Speckletone paper, based on 1970s photographs of Perry in his Black Ark studio by Dennis Morris, and signed by both Fairey and Morris in a numbered edition of 600 at a release price of $95. Fairey's text recounts discovering Perry through Bob Marley and the Wailers and the Clash, and describes capturing the visual and sonic energy of Perry at work. The square image is a memorial portrait of Perry in his studio.
Collector notes: First Edition; saved release record states an edition size of 600. The saved release record describes: signed; numbered. Verify each feature against a documented example of this edition. Gauntlet groups this work under Music and counterculture for discovery; that category is a navigation aid, not an authentication conclusion.
Historical Context
In the artist's words / from the release record:
“Legendary reggae producer and pioneer of the dub sound, Lee "Scratch" Perry, passed away on August 29. I first discovered Lee Perry when I got deep into Bob Marley and the Wailers and found out Perry had produced several seminal Wailers tracks. I also loved the Clash song "Police and Thieves," which I learned was a cover of Jamaican artist Junior Murvin which Lee Perry had produced. Perry also co-produced the song "Complete Control" by the Clash. Perry made a ton of great music with his band, the Upsetters, as well as collaborating with a range of artists from King Tubby, to Adrian Sherwood,
Documented Release Details
- Object type
- Editioned screenprint
- Release date
- 2021-10-14
- Release-date note
- Catalog-listed release year/date from the saved secondary record; primary release-page confirmation remains pending.
- Series
- Music Series
- Medium and materials
- Screen Print; catalog dimensions 24 x 24 in; cream Speckletone paper noted in the release description.
- Edition details
- First Edition; saved release record states an edition size of 600.
- Signature and marks
- The saved release record describes: signed; numbered. Verify each feature against a documented example of this edition.
Documented History and Meaning
History note: Shepard Fairey's OBEY / Andre the Giant campaign began in 1989 and grew into a long print and public-art practice; this page treats that as career context, not proof that this specific edition belongs to any single exhibition.
Meaning / interpretation: In the artist's or release record's own words: “Legendary reggae producer and pioneer of the dub sound, Lee "Scratch" Perry, passed away on August 29. I first discovered Lee Perry when I got deep into Bob Marley and the Wailers and found out Perry had produced several seminal Wailers tracks. I also loved the Clash song "Police and Thieves," which I learned was a cover of Jamaican artist Junior Murvin which Lee Perry had produced. Perry also co-produced the song "Complete Control" by the Clash. Perry made a ton of great music with his band, the Upsetters, as well as collaborating with a range of artists from King Tubby, to Adrian Sherwood. This can be read as the documented intent for the work; no additional endorsement is assumed. This interpretive note follows the cited artist or publisher context.
Release context: The saved catalog lists 2021-10-14 and attributes the edition to Obey Giant. It is grouped under Music Series in the saved record. The saved record notes an original release price of USD $95.00.
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 Obey Giant. 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
- Saved release record — Art Collectorz · secondary catalog snapshot · Accessed 2026-07-13 · Starting record for title, date, edition, dimensions, medium, release price, and release description. Primary confirmation against the original release page remains pending.
- About — Shepard Fairey / OBEY GIANT — Obey Giant · primary artist source · Accessed 2026-07-13 · Official OBEY GIANT artist biography and career context; it is not an individual-edition record.
- Shepard Fairey — Wikipedia · reference encyclopedia · Accessed 2026-07-13 · General artist-level biographical and career reference.
- Shepard Fairey (Q1142847) — Wikidata · reference knowledge base · Accessed 2026-07-13 · Structured identifier used for the artist across catalog metadata.
Market Context
- Estimated value. The median of recorded public sale prices for this piece, matched by title and colorway. We use the median (not the average) because it resists outliers.
- Min / max sale. The lowest and highest individual recorded sale prices; the range shows dispersion, not a guaranteed band.
- Recorded comps. The number of independent comparable sales; reliability rises with sample size (1–2 sales are indicative only).
- Liquidity & sales volume. Our liquidity rating reflects sales velocity — the number of recorded comparable sales and how recent the latest sale is. More frequent and more recent sales rate as more liquid (Highly Liquid → Liquid → Moderate → Thin → Very Thin); a piece with no recorded public sales is Extremely Rare.
- Estimate confidence. A traffic-light read on how well the data supports the estimate: green high, yellow medium, red low / indicative.
- Data source & currency. Compiled from recorded public marketplace and auction sales of US$200 or more, in US dollars, as of the latest recorded sale shown. Coverage is not exhaustive.
- Not financial or investment advice. For collector reference only — not an appraisal, offer, or guarantee of resale value. Art is volatile and illiquid; do your own research. Use is subject to our Terms & Conditions.