I think it is always good to have real things. I consider silver, gold and even pre-82 pennies to be real things. I get a lot of enjoyment out of collecting coins, and the fact that the value goes up is nice also.
Kind of like silver now! How many plentiful, cheap silver coins are now down to small population? Rosie dimes are pretty cheap and plentiful... how many of them have been melted down? How many truly remain? We may never know! Imagine being unable to complete a full set of silver Rosie dimes! *scurries off to eBay*
ha ha! pennys will become rarer faster because the mint would be melting the pennys down as well. and because you cant find them in rolls anymore.