A British schoolboy who helped a man pick up some dropped paint cans on a train was given a signed Banksy print in return.
The man left the Cumbrian schoolboy with the words: "This will be worth about £20,000 - have a good life."
 Banksy keeps his identity a closely guarded secret |
Was this a close brush with the elusive artist himself?
Ben Azarya, the schoolboy in question, explained: "He was on the phone for most of the time talking to someone called AK47.
"He opened his rucksack and had a gas mask and spray paints inside.
"He got out a piece of paper and had colours marked on it of what he had been trying out and he dropped his colours.
"I picked them up for him and after that he started signing it in weird letters and numbers. He said 'do you know who Robin Banks is?'
Azarya described him as: "White, in his late 40s. He was wearing scruffy clothes and he had a black, fluffy hat which looked really old. He had a little jacket that didn't go over his arms and jeans with paint on. He looked really wacky and had blond hair and blue eyes."
Azarya plans to have the piece valued, after speaking to London auction house Bonhams.
He said: "I will probably spend about £1,000 and get a new phone and save the rest."
Please sign up to our free newsletter to receive exciting news about art and antiques auctions.
