A RARE work by the controversial graffiti artist Banksy is up for sale in Oxford.

The 1970s bank safe, which has been stenciled with parachuting rats, is on the market with city-based art dealer Adrian Greenwood.

The guide price is £60,000 – and it doesn’t even come with a key.

What makes the untitled piece so rare is that the anonymous Bristol artist, who is famous for satirical public art, is often reluctant to authenticate work that was not produced for a gallery.

And much of his trademark stencil-style ‘guerrilla’ art, which has attracted a legion of celebrity fans, including Brad Pitt, Angelina Jolie and Christina Aguilera, is on walls or buildings making it impossible to remove for sale.

The safe, a gift to his tattooist, has been verified as an original by Pictures on Walls, Banksy’s gallery in Bristol.

It has never been exhibited but the gallery’s authenticity arm, Pest Control, has issued a certificate.

Mr Greenwood said: “His attitude is when he does something on walls it is a political statement and he doesn’t want it resold. This is an exception.

“I had sold a lot of Banksy prints and the guy just approached me about it.

“It took three people to get it up my stairs. It’s a 1970s fire-proof safe.”

The piece itself measures 25x18x19ins and is described as spray paint on an enamel and steel safe.

The stencil used is one of Banksy’s most distinctive early motifs, the rat with a parachute Mr Greenwood said the work was created in 2002 and the rats represent bankers, in line with Banksy’s anti-capitalist ethos.

The safe featured in Banksy’s book Wall and Piece and was offered for sale at Christie’s in 2009, but failed to sell.

That auction happened as Britain’s banks were in free fall, and Mr Greenwood said the irony was it was rich city bankers who often buy Banksy’s work.

He said: “They think it is hilarious to buy something anti- capitalist. Banksy is being ironic and they are being ironic by buying it.”

Mr Greenwood said he had no idea if there was anything inside it and had thought about contacting a safe-cracker to find out.

For more information, search for Adrian Greenwood on eBay.