( Mashable ) -- UK artist Banksy , he of the guerilla techniques and ever-increasing popularity , is about to be unceremoniously identified to the highest bidder in an eBay auction , which ends Wednesday . At press time , the winning bidder is offering one slim dollar shy of a million . Bidding started at $ 3,000 ; the auction has had 38 bids . In the listing , the seller states , `` 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 % assurance that it is most certainly the full name of the street artist known as 'Banksy . ' '' The seller also says that eBay had previously terminated his auction because he was selling an intangible good ; the seller is now technically offering for auction a piece of paper containing Banksy 's legal name . The party offering Banksy 's identity is hardly a power seller , having a fairly sparse but mostly positive record that dates back to 2001 . At this time , we have no way of determining whether the winning bidder is being taken to the cleaners to the tune of $ 1 million or whether the seller is legitimately peddling an exclusive glimpse into the identity of a public figure who clearly wants to be anything but public . However , we read on the artist 's website that not all Banksy work that is sold necessarily corresponds to the artist himself . CNN : Banksy still hiding in plain sight . `` Banksy neither produces or profits from the sale of greeting cards , mugs or photo canvases of his work , '' the site reads . `` He is not represented by any of the commercial galleries that sell his paintings secondhand . '' Banksy gained a bit of stateside exposure in October 2010 when he directed an opening sequence for `` The Simpsons . '' What do you think of this auction ? Would you want to know Banksy 's identity , or do you think he deserves to live privately and relatively anonymously ? Let us know your thoughts in the comments . © 2011 MASHABLE.com . All rights reserved .
eBay seller claims to know identity of anonymous UK artist Banksy and will auction it to highest bidder . At press time , top bid was just shy of $ 1 million . Score: 7 is Banksy 's legal name .