The history of wheat, what does it mean?

I know that wheat is on many many coins, what all does it mean/represent?

What does it represent on the US "wheat penny"?

 Indeed, and also a wreath - there are loads of countries that use one on coins. Anyone know either?  

Just guessing : from "wheat" i go to "grain" - if i'm correct a small coin
maybe it refers to ancient exchange of goods and food (when money didn't exist yet)

Possible. Maybe this is a symbol of plentifulness.

Quote: bam777Possible. Maybe this is a symbol of plentifulness.

 Bam, I think that is what it represents on communist coins, but it seems to be on a lot of coins.

Wheat-is a crop that was grown in the Levant area in the Near East and the highlands of Ethiopia. - wikipedia.
It's come a long way out of those regions and is grown globally and in 2009 (again another splice from wikipedia) wheat was the second most produced cereal crop.

So...wheat is about prosperity and blessing.

Also, from a Dream interpretation book: To dream you see land sown with wheat signifies money and profit with difficulty and hard work. To dream you see or are walking in a field of wheat is a very favourable omen, and denotes prosperity and riches; (excerpt omitted) if you have a lawsuit you will gain it, and you will be successful in all your undertakings.

So, I stand, not just on communist coins but all...wheat symbolises plentifulness, a continuation of prosperity and wealth, and blessing in all things that you do.

I've always wondered this too, as I see it on my wheat cents and my 20 CCCP Kopeks. The prosperity and copious fortune seem like a good thing to represent in your currency though. Good idea. :)

I think wheat is one of those symbols that has so many meanings it's almost meaningless.  For instance, when most people see wheat on a coin they just think it's supposed to be there, and that that's sort of the ideal design on a coin.

Heraldry-wise, depending on which lexicon you're using, wheat symbolized prosperity, diligence, hard work, focusing on the basics, honesty, industriousness, and control of nature.

My favorite modern coin design is the 5 & 10 Rentenpfennig design (later co-opted as the 5 & 10 Reichspfennig design) that takes a modern approach to wheat.  In that sense it is truly a symbol for regrowth, concentrating on the basics, and constancy (year after year, the wheat is planted on schedule, is harvested on schedule, and is baked constantly -- an important reminder when you've been through 4 years of harrowing inflation).

The same can be said of the wheat sprig on the immediate post-war East German coins, where wheat is used in its traditional communist sense (hard work, solidarity with farmers, plenty), but also in the same sense as the person planting the sapling on the West German 50 pfennig -- regrowth, constancy, not concentrating on the destruction and absolute devastation that surrounds you, but instead concentrating on doing your best to eke out the basics.

Plus, if you'll allow me to take some personal opinion with it, both Weimar and BRD/DDR coinage symbolized a transition from two bombastic, gaudy cultures (the Junker and Nazi, respectively) which were replete with more spread-eagle shots on their coins than in a Hustler, terribly bad (Wilhelmine) neo-gothic-art-nouveau, and then even worse (Nazi) neo-classical-art-deco.  The simplicity is very refreshing, especially considering Wilhelm II and Hitler had the artistic and stylistic tastes of the Kardashian sisters. /endpersonalopinion

Post moderated and edited by bam77

Excellent Tew, thats the kind of answer I wanted.

 " In that sense it is truly a symbol for regrowth, concentrating on the basics, and constancy (year after year, the wheat is planted on schedule, is harvested on schedule, and is baked constantly -- an important reminder when you've been through 4 years of harrowing inflation)."

  That the best part.  Thanks for your time and answer.

 bravo,well done,excellent tewcd !!!  

Somehow the edits don't convey the same vitriol as I intended against Wilhelmine and Nazi architecture.  Sometimes the English language fails to convey what profanity can otherwise.

Haha, don't take it personal Tew, I read it, and I got your full meaning.

Aha, let's keep it clean guys.

We don't want to influence kids who use the website to use the s-bomb or even the f-bomb.

Just pointing this out, the neoclassical-art deco style is called Fascist style. Honestly, I think it's a really clean style and is similar to modern styles but boasts in colour. There are a lot of buildings in Eritrea that have this style and probably in the other Italian colonies.

When you look at wheat on coins, it's not commonly found on developed, first and second world countries. It's always common to see other symbols on coins. Should we start talking about the Phyrgian cap?

Aha sorry for wrecking the conversation.

Wheat certainly is on a lot of developed nations, and I was wondering specifically about wheat on the US cent. Nations have a lot more meaning in every little detail of a coin than people realize, I was hoping for a historically accurate answer with footnotes or something. did the guys at the mint not right down what the wheat meant?  I do like hearing all the opinions and ideas, but what did the engravers think?

What is Phyrgian cap?

  Yea, I agree that this should be a clean site safe for any age.

I'm wondering if it is some kind of US federal secret because when I search for "Why wheat on US cent" it returns nothing. There's plenty of interesting information about the in-fighting within the US Mint and Treasury that led to the whole 'VDB' scandal, but I can't find anything that tells us why the wheat is there.

The wheat has been used in coins from ancient Roma. It represented, in that old coins, Annona, the goddess who protected the food supply to Roma.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Annona_(goddess)

Very informative, well written, articulately delivered. "He who knows and knows he knows ... " by K.G.