No Ball Games
Medium: Screenprint in colors on Arches wove paper
Year: 2009
Sheet: 67×70 cm (26 3/8 x 27 1/2 inches)
Editions:
No Ball Games (Green): 250 signed
No Ball Games (Grey): 250 signed
Artist’s Proofs: 28 AP each
Publisher: Pictures on Walls, London
Signed in Green/Grey crayon, lower right
Numbered in pencil with the publisher’s blindstamp, lower left
No Ball Games is one of the most incisive and quietly subversive images by Banksy, distilling the artist’s ability to transform everyday urban signage into a powerful commentary on authority, control, and childhood. The composition is disarmingly simple. Two children, a boy and a girl, are depicted mid-play, their arms raised as they toss and catch what initially appears to be a ball. Upon closer inspection, however, the “ball” is revealed to be a red warning sign reading “NO BALL GAMES.” This visual inversion lies at the core of the work’s impact: a symbol of prohibition is reappropriated as an object of play.
Rendered in Banksy’s characteristic stencil style, the figures are executed in monochrome with a raw, almost photographic immediacy, while the sign (bright red) serves as the only chromatic intervention. This contrast isolates the message and reinforces the tension between innocence and restriction. In the green edition, the fluorescent background introduces an additional layer of visual aggression, amplifying the confrontation between authority and freedom.
No Ball Games first appeared as a spray-painted mural in Tottenham in North London, on a shop wall at the junction between Tottenham High Road and Philip Lane, painted on a wall in a residential area where such signs are commonplace. These ubiquitous notices, often installed to regulate behavior in public housing estates, became, in Banksy’s hands, symbols of a broader culture of control. By transforming the sign into a toy, the artist stages a quiet act of resistance: children reclaiming space through imagination.
As with many of Banksy’s works, the original mural has undergone changes over time. Parts of it have been subject to wear, overpainting, and the general erosion that defines street art’s ephemeral existence. This fragility is essential to the work’s meaning: the message exists in tension with its own disappearance.
At its core, No Ball Games addresses the increasing regulation of public space and the erosion of spontaneous human interaction, particularly among children. It critiques a society that prioritizes order over play, compliance over creativity. Yet, as often with Banksy, the tone is not overtly pessimistic. The children are not oppressed; they are inventive, resourceful, and quietly defiant. Within Banksy’s broader body of work, this image aligns with other pieces that center on childhood as a site of truth and resistance, echoing works such as Girl with Balloon or Bomb Love, where innocence confronts systems of power. It is precisely this balance, between tenderness and critique, that has made the image so enduring.
Within No Ball Games, the distinction between the grey and fluorescent green versions is not merely aesthetic, but subtly affects both perception and collector behavior. The grey edition remains the closest to the original mural, preserving the raw, understated atmosphere of the street intervention. It is often favored by purists who value fidelity to Banksy’s initial context and the quiet strength of the composition.
By contrast, the fluorescent green variant introduces a more confrontational and contemporary visual language. The high-impact background transforms the work into a more immediate, almost pop-like object, increasing its presence in a space and broadening its appeal to collectors drawn to bold, iconic imagery. While both versions were released in comparable edition sizes, the green has, in recent years, shown slightly stronger visibility in the market, driven by its striking display quality. Ultimately, the choice between the two reflects a familiar tension in Banksy collecting: adherence to the street origin versus the evolution of the image into a standalone, highly legible artwork. Ultimately, No Ball Games exemplifies Banksy’s unique ability to reframe the familiar. A mundane street sign becomes a poetic gesture, a small act of rebellion, and a broader reflection on how society defines—and confines—freedom.
Auction Market Overview
NBG (Grey)
2025 Auction Results
No Ball Games (Grey) did not sell at auction in 2025.
2024 Auction Results
No Ball Games (Grey) did not sell at auction in 2024.
2023 Auction Results
Koller Zurich: 30 November 2023
Estimated: CHF 35,000 – 45,000
CHF 47,500 / USD 53,675
BANKSY (Bristol 1974–lives and works in England)
No Ball Games (Grey), 2009
Color screenprint on wove paper
Edition 233/250
Signed in pencil lower right: Banksy
Phillips New-York: 21 June 2023
Estimated: USD 30,000 – 40,000
USD 44,450
BANKSY
No Ball Games (Grey), 2009
Screenprint in colors on wove paper
Signed in pencil, lower right
Numbered 64/250 in pencil with the publisher’s blindstamp, lower left
Forum Auctions: 28 February 2023
Estimated: GBP 30,000 – 40,000
GBP 44,220 / USD 54,391
BANKSY (b. 1974)
No Ball Games (Grey) (Signed), 2009
Screenprint in colors on wove paper
Signed in pencil, numbered from the edition of 250
2022 Auction Results
Forum Auctions: 8 November 2022
Estimated: GBP 38,000 – 48,000
GBP 54,940 / USD 63,683
BANKSY (b.1974)
No Ball Games (Grey), 2009
Screenprint in colors on wove paper
Signed and numbered from the edition of 250 in pencil, with the publisher’s blindstamp
Heritage Auctions: 28 July 2022
Estimated: USD 30,000 – 50,000
USD 47,500
BANKSY (b. 1974)
No Ball Games (Grey), 2009
Screenprint in colors on wove paper
Signed and numbered 146/250 in pencil along lower edge
Estimated: GBP 30,000 – 50,000
GBP 52,920 / USD 66,679
No Ball Games (Grey), 2009
Screenprint in colors on wove paper
Estimated: GBP 40,000 – 60,000
No Ball Games (Grey), 2009
Screenprint in colors on wove paper
2021 Auction Results
No Ball Games (Grey) sold 6 times at auction in 2021 for a total turnover of GBP 451,160 (USD 624,630) at an average price of GBP 75,193 (USD 104,105). It sold at Forum Auctions on 5 March 2021 for GBP 100,500 (USD 137,685), its highest price paid in 2021, and its world auction record.
Estimated: GBP 40,000 – 50,000
GBP 67,500 / USD 93,825
BANKSY (British 1974-)No Ball Games (Grey), 2009
Screenprint in colors on wove paper
Signed and numbered from an edition of 250 in pencil
Estimated: GBP 30,000 – 50,000
GBP 88,200 / USD 122,598
BANKSY (b. 1974)
No Ball Games (Grey), 2009
Screenprint in colors on wove paper
Signed in pencil, numbered 142/250, with the publisher’s blindstamp
Forum Auctions: 2 September 2021
Estimated: GBP 45,000 – 60,000
GBP 61,640 / USD 85,680
BANKSY (b.1974)
No Ball Games (Grey), 2009
Screenprint in colors on wove paper
Signed and numbered from the edition of 250 in pencil, with the publisher’s blindstamp
Estimated: GBP 75,000 – 100,000
GBP 100,500 / USD 137,685
WORLD AUCTION RECORD FOR NO BALL GAMES (GREY)
BANKSY (b.1974)
No Ball Games (Grey), 2009
Screenprint in colors on wove paper
Signed and numbered from the edition of 250 in pencil, with the publisher’s blindstamp
NBG (Green)
2026 Auction Results
Heritage Auctions: 29 January 2026
No Estimates Received – No Reserve
USD 42,500
BANKSY (b. 1974)
No Ball Games (Green), 2009
Screenprint in colors on wove paper
Edition: 108/250
Signed and numbered in pencil along lower edge
Published by Pictures on Walls, London
2025 Auction Results
Sotheby’s New-York: 15 April 2025
Estimated: USD 30,000 – 50,000
USD 38,100 / GBP 28,865
BANKSY (b. 1974)
No Ball Games (Green), 2009
Screenprint in colors on wove paper
Signed in green crayon and numbered in pencil 177/250 with the publisher’s blindstamp
2024 Auction Results
Forum Auctions: 4 December 2024
Estimated: GBP 25,000 – 35,000
Hammer: GBP 26,000
GBP 34,840 / USD 45,820
BANKSY (b.1974)
No Ball Games (Green), 2009
Screenprint in colors on wove paper
Signed in green crayon
Numbered from the edition of 250 in pencil with the publisher’s blindstamp
2023 Auction Results
Arnet Auctions: 31 August 2023
Estimated: USD 40,000 – 60,000
USD 52,500
BANKSY
No Ball Games (Green), 2009
Screenprint in colors on wove paper
Signed and numbered AP/08 in pencil
Artist’s Proof 8/28 aside from the edition of 250
Forum Auctions: 31 January 2023
Estimated: GBP 25,000 – 35,000
Hammer: GBP 28,000
GBP 37,520/ USD 46,150
No Ball Games (Green), 2009
Screenprint in colors on wove paper
2022 Auction Results
2022 Auction Results
Estimated: NZD 125,000 – 165,000
NZD 150,000 / USD 93,000 / GBP 76,230
No Ball Games (Green), 2009
Screenprint in colors on wove paper
Signed in green crayon, lower right
Numbered 81/250 in pencil with the publisher’s blindstamp, lower left
Estimated: GBP 30,000 – 50,000
GBP 50,400 / USD 60,480
BANKSY
No Ball Games (Green), 2009
Screenprint in colors on wove paper
Signed in green crayon, lower right
Numbered 15/250 in pencil with the publisher’s blindstamp, lower left
Estimated: GBP 55,000 – 70,000
GBP 67,000 / USD 91,120
No Ball Games (Green), 2009
Screenprint in colors on wove paper
Estimated: GBP 50,000 – 80,000
GBP 85,760 / USD 117,491
BANKSY (b.1974)No Ball Games (Green), 2009
Screenprint in colors on wove paper
Signed in green crayon, numbered from the edition of 250 in pencil, with the publisher’s blindstamp
2021 Auction Results
Estimated: GBP 30,000 – 50,000
GBP 75,600 / USD 102,060
BANKSY (b. 1974)
No Ball Games (Green), 2009
Screenprint in colors
Signed and numbered 50/250
Forum Auctions: 23 April 2021
Estimated: GBP 75,000 – 100,000
GBP 83,080 / USD 115,481
HIGHEST PRICE PAID FOR NO BALL GAMES (GREEN) IN 2021
BANKSY (b.1974)
No Ball Games (Green), 2009
Screenprint in colors
Signed in green pencil, numbered from the edition of 250 in pencil, with the publisher’s blindstamp
Phillips New-York: 20 April 2021
Estimated: USD 40,000 – 60,000
USD 94,500
BANKSY
No Ball Games (Green), 2009
Screenprint in colors on wove paper
Signed in green pencil and numbered 212/250 in pencil
2020 Auction Results
Estimated: HKD 200,000 – 300,000
HKD 1,134,000 / USD 146,000 / GBP 108,955
AUCTION RECORD FOR NO BALL GAMES (GREEN)
No Ball Games (Green), 2009
Screenprint in colors on wove paper
Numbered ’88/250′ with publisher’s blindstamp lower left