# Balls - cheapest and priciest **URL:** \ **Category:** The Game Room\ **Created:** [September 6, 2025, 4:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/balls-cheapest-and-priciest/1022791 "2025-09-06T16:40:25Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Mark\_Finn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/34f0e0/32.png) [@Mark\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mark_Finn)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2025, 4:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/balls-cheapest-and-priciest/1022791/1 "2025-09-06T16:40:25Z")
Have you ever thought about the value of professional-grade balls (or whatever object you use to score) in your favorite sport? What would you consider to be the cheapest per unit and the most expensive? My guesses- cheapest: table tennis balls $1.40 each. Most expensive: curling stones $450 each. ---
**Author:** ![Maserschmidt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/maserschmidt/32/18829_2.png) [@Maserschmidt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Maserschmidt)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2025, 4:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/balls-cheapest-and-priciest/1022791/2 "2025-09-06T16:47:08Z")
Your guess at most expensive feels very low to me per item, particularly for official use. Just a quick google suggests that thing costs a lot more. ---
**Author:** ![Mark\_Finn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/34f0e0/32.png) [@Mark\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mark_Finn)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2025, 4:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/balls-cheapest-and-priciest/1022791/3 "2025-09-06T16:50:58Z")
It’s in the multi-thousands for a complete set of 16. I just divided by 16 to get an approximate unit price. ---
**Author:** ![Maserschmidt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/maserschmidt/32/18829_2.png) [@Maserschmidt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Maserschmidt)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2025, 4:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/balls-cheapest-and-priciest/1022791/4 "2025-09-06T16:55:21Z")
Ah, I see, missed that. Sorry! [Why the Official Olympic Curling Stones Are so Expensive - Business Insider](https://www.businessinsider.com/why-the-official-olympic-curling-stones-are-so-expensive-2022-7) Looks like still over $600, but close enough. ---
**Author:** ![Fiendish\_Astronaut](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fiendish_astronaut/32/3295_2.png) [@Fiendish\_Astronaut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fiendish_Astronaut)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2025, 5:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/balls-cheapest-and-priciest/1022791/5 "2025-09-06T17:02:27Z")
Curling stones are surely stretching the concept of a ball. For pure balls maybe it’s cricket. The Dukes ball is used in most countries and costs about £250 which is about US$340. For cheapest I reckon table tennis is a good shout. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2025, 5:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/balls-cheapest-and-priciest/1022791/6 "2025-09-06T17:07:25Z")
> [@Fiendish\_Astronaut](#): > > Curling stones are surely stretching the concept of a ball. Yeah, curling stones are not in any way, shape, or form a “ball.” That’s an unsatisfying answer. ---
**Author:** ![Cervaise](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cervaise/32/16693_2.png) [@Cervaise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cervaise)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2025, 5:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/balls-cheapest-and-priciest/1022791/7 "2025-09-06T17:10:36Z")
I agree that a competitive-level table tennis ball (which is a different beast from a home-grade ball, but still not terribly expensive) is a good nomination for cheapest point-scoring object (stretching the definition from just “ball”). Curling stones are also very expensive, as noted. If we accept the stretched definition, then I’ll toss in (heh) the Olympic-level javelin. I remember reading somewhere they’re surprisingly expensive, because they’re engineered for such aerodynamic precision. This site has them for sale for around a thousand euros each. > **[Javelins 800](https://nordicsport.com/collections/javelins-800g)** > > Nordic javelins is a hallmark among competitive sport men and organizers all over the world. The famous Swedish javelins were first manufactured from thin-walled steel tubing by Seefab, Sandviken, more than 50 years ago, and have since then earned... ---
**Author:** ![Mark\_Finn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/34f0e0/32.png) [@Mark\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mark_Finn)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2025, 10:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/balls-cheapest-and-priciest/1022791/8 "2025-09-06T22:21:36Z")
In my original post, I mentioned balls, or anything used to score points (as long as it is moved, or attempted to be moved by the athlete). Thus - I would say curling stones and javelins qualify - but not something like a race horse or a Grand Prix vehicle. Now I see why cricket balls are rarely replaced during a game. ---
**Author:** ![Zoobi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/13edae/32.png) [@Zoobi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zoobi)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2025, 10:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/balls-cheapest-and-priciest/1022791/9 "2025-09-06T22:31:43Z")
I imagine crew boats are rather expensive then if we can consider them “balls”. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2025, 10:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/balls-cheapest-and-priciest/1022791/10 "2025-09-06T22:43:47Z")
So far as I can tell, curling stones and javelins would be on the priciest end. I can’t find anything higher. ---
**Author:** ![Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/elmer_j.fudd/32/1211_2.png) [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elmer_J.Fudd)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2025, 10:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/balls-cheapest-and-priciest/1022791/11 "2025-09-06T22:53:55Z")
> [@Mark\_Finn](#): > > My guesses- cheapest: table tennis balls $1.40 each. Shooting marbles are about 25 cents each. ---
**Author:** ![Maserschmidt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/maserschmidt/32/18829_2.png) [@Maserschmidt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Maserschmidt)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2025, 10:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/balls-cheapest-and-priciest/1022791/12 "2025-09-06T22:55:18Z")
F1 racers. ---
**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2025, 10:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/balls-cheapest-and-priciest/1022791/13 "2025-09-06T22:56:06Z")
I see that [a certain golf ball seller](https://attomaxgolf.com/blogs/attomax-golf/the-most-expensive-golf-balls-in-the-world-in-2024-luxury-on-the-links?gad_source=1&gad_campaignid=22288987829&gbraid=0AAAAAo_BhBDoVbLDTECTzFYcL7yBL05Q6&gclid=CjwKCAjwt-_FBhBzEiwA7QEqyIKqf7mkH3DYFyRGjx2NEzcWNKfSZRjjjanjTUYhwuNBDEd3ZrIfIBoCcUcQAvD_BwE) boasts that their ball is _the_ most expensive, at $249 per dozen, or $20.75 apiece. I imagine that any group in which a golfer is using their balls is ultra-slow, as they would hate to concede not being able to find a lost ball. The cheapest golf balls I used when I played were the ones I found on the shores of a local reservoir by the 8th hole of the adjacent public golf course. They had lowered the level of the reservoir for some kind of repairs, revealing thousands of golf balls that over the years had been hit out of bounds over a fence, bounced on an adjacent roadway and sidewalk, made it over a six-foot fence and down a slope to the water. There were ancient balls from the mashie-niblick days all the way up to modern Titleists and such. I collected enough so that I didn’t have to buy any golf balls for years. ---
**Author:** ![Cervaise](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cervaise/32/16693_2.png) [@Cervaise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cervaise)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2025, 11:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/balls-cheapest-and-priciest/1022791/14 "2025-09-06T23:00:56Z")
> [@Mark\_Finn](#): > > anything used to score points (as long as it is moved, or attempted to be moved by the athlete) I have to assume “moved by the athlete” requires something more substantial and/or strenuous than “thumbing the stick on a game controller.” Otherwise a top-end e-sports rig will set a price bar no curling stone or javelin would hope to match. (Definitions are _everything_ in this kind of question. 😃 ) ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2025, 11:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/balls-cheapest-and-priciest/1022791/15 "2025-09-06T23:17:06Z")
I’m thinking that there has to be some sport where the contestants are moving thousands or millions of pieces of confetti or something, and where each individual confettus must therefore be a tiny fraction of a cent. But I’m not coming up with anything. ---
**Author:** ![Ponderoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ponderoid/32/19221_2.png) [@Ponderoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ponderoid)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2025, 11:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/balls-cheapest-and-priciest/1022791/16 "2025-09-06T23:31:06Z")
How much do paintballs cost? ---
**Author:** ![Fear\_Itself](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fear_itself/32/19637_2.png) [@Fear\_Itself](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fear_Itself)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2025, 11:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/balls-cheapest-and-priciest/1022791/17 "2025-09-06T23:36:54Z")
Prosthetic human testicles cost $2000 to $3000 each, not including surgical implantation. > **[Torosa® Saline-Filled Testicular Prosthesis - Coloplast](https://iu.coloplast.us/products/torosa-testicular-implants/)** > > Quick Links: Product Detail | Ordering Information | Important Safety Information Restoring confidence after cancer Testicular prostheses have been reported by numerous investigators to result in psychological benefits and high levels of patient... ---
**Author:** ![JustinC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/justinc/32/8083_2.png) [@JustinC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JustinC)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2025, 11:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/balls-cheapest-and-priciest/1022791/18 "2025-09-06T23:44:12Z")
Ping pong balls in China can be bought for $1.81 for 30 ---
**Author:** ![Jas09](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/d07c76/32.png) [@Jas09](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jas09)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2025, 11:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/balls-cheapest-and-priciest/1022791/19 "2025-09-06T23:48:55Z")
It seems competitive card throwing is a thing. The “name brand” throwing card seems to be Banshee, with a deck costing $11. That’s 22 cents a “ball”. Not quite bulk-purchase ping-pong ball level. Although some folks say that any plastic cards can be used, and it looks like Amazon has a two pack (so 104 cards) for $9. So now we’re down under 9 cents a card. Still a few cents more than the $1.81 for 30 ping-pong balls, but I’m not sure that’s a price you can get in the US, or that that price gets you balls you would actually want to play with. ---
**Author:** ![Zoobi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/13edae/32.png) [@Zoobi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zoobi)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2025, 11:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/balls-cheapest-and-priciest/1022791/20 "2025-09-06T23:53:02Z")
Skeet shooting? [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/balls-cheapest-and-priciest/1022791.md?page=2)