Growing up in the late 70s and early 80s I would with some regularity come across a wheat in my change. Even though they were usually common dates, I was so excited! The first thing I would do was open up my album and look to “fill a hole.” So for me it is the hunt/reliving a piece of my childhood. I understand what you are saying though, I get more excited finding a wheat than a clad quarter. Heck a clad quarter would buy at least 5, maybe 8 common wheats at a coin store!
Back when I was about 10 I got into coin collecting a little and got the two books for memorial cents from 1909 to the 40's and the one after that went to the 60's.
Also a nickel book.
I would fill in the spaces with common change I came across but it was a slow process.
My wonderful grandparents didn't have a whole lot of money but they knew about my new hobby so for a couple of years as a birthday present they would go to the bank and get a bunch of one cent rolls and empty them out into one of those old cigar boxes and fill it up half to 3/4's of the way to the top.
I was essentially doing coin roll hunting way back in the mid 60's.
There was not another present they could have given me that would have given me more joy and pleasure and I had hours of fun going though all of them filling in those spaces.
I ended up filling up the modern book easily and much of the older one too but there were still many spaces that needed to be filled in that older one.
Eventually other things became more important in my life and I put those books away and forgot about them but for some reason I kept them through my entire life...these are the only things I still have left in my possession from my childhood and I have dragged them with me from place to place and move to move for many decades.
After getting into this hobby I eventually started to find some older wheat cents and I took out those old books and started to see if there was an empty space I could fill.
Most of the time I didn't need them but every once in awhile I would come across an old nickel that would fill a space and more than one wheat cent that had a lonely empty spot just waiting for a coin for so long...or I found a coin that was in better condition than one I already had so I replaced it.
Every time that happened the warm feelings I had thinking about my grandparents, now long gone, came rushing back and still does to this day.
So for me finding a few specific wheat cents are more than special...they are attached to a wonderful time in my life from long ago and this hobby has helped me relive that time and once again restarted a 50+ year journey filling those books.
This hobby is so meaningful to me in so many ways but this small part of it, and those missing wheat cents I might find, are a an extra special bonus for me.
