The Wheat Sheaf Commemoration Dollar
By CAA | Saturday, 10 January 2026
The Wheat Sheaf, pre-decimal coin designs, has been used for the traditional coin strike on 2012 New Year's Day at the Royal Australian Mint in Canberra, making the $1 coin one of the first struck in the world that year.
Originally appearing on the threepence from 1938 to 1964, the Royal Australian Mint has returned to this familiar design to recognise one of Australia's longest running industries.
A wheat sheaf is a bundle of cut wheat stalks tied together after harvesting. Historically, this was a fundamental part of agriculture, as it was the way farmers would collect and organize their crops before they were threshed to separate the grain from the stalks.
The wheat sheaf is a common symbol across various cultures and contexts, representing:
- It is a classic representation of a bountiful harvest, the reward of hard work, and the richness of the earth.
- The cycle of planting, growing, and harvesting wheat makes it a powerful metaphor for the cycle of life, death, and rebirth.
- A sheaf is a collection of individual stalks bound together, symbolizing community, unity, and strength in numbers.
- As a staple food for thousands of years, wheat represents sustenance, wealth, and divine provision.
It can be found in many places including heraldry, Christianity, paintings, etc.
The official coat of arms for the state of New South Wales, granted in 1906, features a wheat sheaf (or garb, in heraldic terms) in the second and third quarters of its shield.
Queensland's coat of arms, the oldest state arms in Australia, also prominently features a wheat sheaf. This symbol is a nod to the state's significant wheat industry, which was a major part of its economy when the arms were designed in 1893. The shield also includes the heads of a bull and a ram, and stalks of sugarcane, all representing key primary industries.
The following mint mark can ben found on the reverse:
- B - Brisbane
- C - Canberra
- C - Canberra - Bluebell
- M - Melbourne
- P - Perth
- S - Sydney
Canberra's floral emblem, the Bluebell, has been turned into a special stamp known as a counterstamp which was struck the some of the C mint mark collectible coin, especially for the Enlighten Festival.
A $1 fine silver proof coin was also made.
This new $1 wheat sheaf coin design continues our celebration in 2012 of Australian wheat and the role it played in the development of modern Australia.
This longstanding tradition is one of the most anticipated events of the year for Australian coin collectors, who have reported that they have lined up over night for the opportunity to be amongst the first to get their hands on this coin.
The dies in the gallery press were changed to the 'Wheat Sheaf' design on New Year's Eve, giving one lucky visitor to the Mint on New Year's Day the rare opportunity to strike one of the very first collector coins in the world for 2012.
The following 99 visitors who make a coin on the visitor press will also take home a special prize and certificate proving they were some of the first people in the world to make a coin in 2012 at the Royal Australian Mint.
- Ross MacDiarmid, Chief Executive Officer of the Royal Australian Mint
1 dollar 2012 price guide and values
