Two tiny Banksys sprayed onto brown cardboard for an anti-war march 22 years ago are for sale and could fetch over £10,000.
The images were created as placards for an anti-Iraq War protest in 2003.
Very few of them survive, as most were discarded or seized by police at the time.
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It comes as a work by the world-famous guerrilla artist was removed from the Royal Courts of Justice in London.
It depicted a judge in full robes striking a protester with a gavel and was widely interpreted as a response to the government’s ban on Palestine Action and the mass arrests of hundreds of protesters.
Its brief appearance sparked widespread debate.
Now two smaller pieces are up for grabs, as reported by What’s The Jam.
One called Happy Choppers has an image of Apache helicopters with the lead aircraft carrying a yellow bow.
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It is a recurring theme within Banksy’s work.
Often shown adorned with a pink or yellow ribbon, the motif was used to comment on the Iraq War and has appeared in various anti-war protests since.
The combination of military force and childlike innocence satirises ideas of masculinity and militarism while reinforcing the menace of modern warfare.
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Happy Choppers first appeared in 2002 as a mural in Whitecross Street Market in Central London.
The second image, called Bomb Hugger, is also spray-painted on cardboard and depicts a young girl embracing a bomb as though it were a soft toy.
It was originally produced for and distributed during demonstrations in 2003.
They are being sold by the daughter of a person who picked them up at a demonstration 22 years ago.
Both pieces have an estimated value of £5,000.
A spokesperson for Anderson and Garland Auctioneers said: “Pest Control, the body that authenticates Banksy’s work, does not issue certificates for protest pieces of this type, making surviving examples exceptionally rare and historically important.”
The sale will be on Wednesday (24 Sept) in Newcastle upon Tyne.
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