"Farewell" Penny

As much as some people love the penny, we all have to admit that the poor coin is on its last legs. It *will* be phased out sooner or later; it's just a question of when. It is amazing that pennies have lasted this long. Indeed, no one likes having to deal with them; and yet, bring up the idea of abolishing them altogether and an roar of protest will arise.

I think we should plan ahead for our farewell to this special coin. Pennies minted in the final year should have a special "Farewell" design; something poignant but still strong and resolute. For example, on the front, instead of "Liberty" the coin would say "Farewell", and on the back there'd be a picture of an eagle flying away.

I'd also like to imbue the penny with a final streak of brilliance and value before we say goodbye to it forever. The earliest pennies are extremely valuable today; I think it would be fitting if the last pennies ever made were also valuable. So, I propose that only a limited number of "Farewell" pennies be minted. Say, around 10,000. They will be individually numbered in descending order, starting with "10000", then "9999", etc. The penny labeled "0001" will the last penny ever produced.