Banksy's True Identity Listed On eBay, Subsequently Pulled

Banksy is a British artist that has recently grown in fame due to some controversial, however well-done short films. The unknown individual, who has kept a secret identity despite his growing fame, is perhaps best known for his spoof on the popular cartoon, The Simpsons. Banksy created a new opening sequence back in October, 2010, that seems to start off normal enough, but then towards the middle gets a bit more "interesting." In an odd turn of events, an eBay seller has put up the "true identity" of Banksy on the popular bidding website, offering the name up for quite a bit of money.

According to the seller, it was quite a bit of work to figure out who Banksy really is. "I have uncovered [Banksy's] identity by matching up the prices of his sold pieces to corresponding tax records. I will reveal no more details... I give you 100 percent assurance that it is most certainly the full name of the street artist known as 'Banksy.'" This actually isn't the first time that Banksy's true identity has been offered up on eBay, but that original auction was pulled because eBay said the seller wasn't offering up a tangible item.

This time around, though, the seller was offering up a piece of paper with a name on it. That's a tangible item, so there's still a question swirling around why eBay would pull this latest bid. The seller started the sale at $3,000, and it was pulled after 36 bids, with a whopping $999,999 as the final bid. You can see The Simpson's opening Banksy created below, if you're unfamiliar with the creation, or just want to see it again.

[via GearLog]