I was looking at these modern bat quarters and it just occurred to me that I never recall seeing an ancient coin depicting bats! One would assume bats have some place in ancient coinage given there are literal flying pigs/horses, lions with snake tails/men with snake legs, even demonic gorgons and other mythical beings!
A decent browse of acsearch suggests to me that there aren't any ancient coins with bats on them. It'd be cool to be proven wrong on that, however. I do have this Chinese charm (token/medallion) that depicts a bat. The charms were first cast in the 18th century during the Qing Dynasty's reign of China. My example is most probably a modern recast (although one well published author has told me he believes it is an original period piece) but I do still think it's very interesting and cool to see a pictorial design on a Chinese type coin. Unfortunately, I don't really understand the symbolism too much but it's worth looking into someday. Qing Dynasty of China c. 18-19th Century (Probably a modern recast) Brass charm | 45mm wide Obv: Qu Xie Jiang Fu, translated as "Expel Evil, Send down Happiness" Rev: A bat flying above a demon to the right being scared by Zhong Kui (a great chaser of demons) left Ref: See Z#136948, 136944, 187308, also SARC A-38, Lot 1075
In Mandarin, the character 蝠 (Fu) means "happiness" or "bat", hence the bat in China is a symbol of happiness. In my home there is a Chinese cabinet decorated with different symbols of best wishes (it is supposed to be a traditional wedding gift). Among these symbols are bats flying over a coin, symbols for "happiness" and "prosperity".
I don't recall seeing ancient coins with bat design. However, I noticed some Chinese antique items with such design. I purchased these two in an estate sale years ago. Said to be from the Qing dynasty (could be later though). Both showing bats with coins. Bronze Necklace (good luck item for young children): Jade Piece (center piece can rotate):
Hi all, Not a coin, but an article “Bats in Greco-Roman Antiquity” https://www.batcon.org/article/bats-in-greco-roman-antiquity/ - Broucheion
YES, I found one, and this coin has both historical and archeological importance. It was issued in about 260 AD and shows a clear bat on the reverse where it might have gone unnoticed if the OP had not asked this question. Here it was lurking in a dark little noticed region where bats are want to hide in plain sight, if one knows where to look. I have had this double sestertius for years but never really looked that closely before. It's not just evidence that the Ancients had bats but actually made use of them. On the reverse is Herc Dev who used to coach old the old Gallic Barbarians before moving on to the Piedmont Senators. He is shown with his BAT in the ready position as he gets ready to loft a fly ball, in his left hand, out to center field. This is clear evidence that the Ancients not only had bats and played baseball but also that, while we in the States like to call it, the American National Pastime, the game was probably in the Olympic Games for Millenia before coming to the New World. Enjoy and look more closely at your coins for further evidence of things you may have missed.
I don't know if this coin (there is only one side illustrated twice, and it's upside-down) is an authentic coin of Vlad III Tepes, "the Impaler". According to the write-up, one can find coins of his father Vlad II Dracul, but those of Vlad III are excessively rare : https://www.acsearch.info/search.html?id=1826198 If you find one it is easy to check if it's authentic or a fake. Just hold the coin in front of a mirror: if you can see it, it's a fake.
