Jimmy Hayes Announces Philanthropic Gift to the National Coin & Bullion Association from Inaugural Medal Reference Series

Jimmy Hayes, general counsel for the National Coin & Bullion Association (NCBA), has announced that 100 percent of the profits from sales of his forthcoming three-volume reference series, Each New Beginning: An Illustrated History of Official Inaugural Medals and Ribbons, will be donated to NCBA in support of its mission to advocate on behalf of the numismatic and precious-metals bullion community.

Planned for publication in the first quarter of 2026, Each New Beginning is a comprehensive, richly illustrated history of US presidential inaugurations, as told through the medals, ribbons, and documents created to commemorate them. The set will be offered at $375 plus shipping, with all profits designated as a philanthropic gift to NCBA.

“Supporting NCBA through this project was a natural extension of both my professional life and my passion for preserving history,” Hayes said. “This work became a history book illustrated by contemporaneous medals, ribbons, and documents. There is something of interest for both historians and numismatists—a numismatic reader will be caught by the pictures and drawn into their stories, where a political science reader may focus more on the stories, illustrated by contemporary images.”

The project’s origins are rooted in Hayes’s belief that numismatic objects deserve to be presented with the political and human stories they were meant to preserve. As he writes in the dedication, the goal was to move beyond merely cataloging designs to reveal “the marriage between politics, medals, and ribbons associated with the Presidential Inaugurations,” preserving stories that might otherwise be lost to time.

The reference series spans three volumes and 760 pages, with a planned initial printing of 200 hardcover copies, including a limited number of leather-bound editions. As first reported by Coin World in its March 31, 2025, article, “Inspiring Inaugural Medal Collection,” the series draws upon what many consider one of the most complete collections of official presidential inaugural and related medals ever assembled.

Among the highlights are

• More than 1,500 high-quality images,
• Over 30 previously unlisted or unique medals—some with no prior auction appearances,
• Approximately 20 unique inaugural ribbons,
• Dozens of historical documents never before published, and
• Newly recorded stories drawn from archival research and firsthand accounts.

The volumes are organized as follows:

• Volume I (1789–1885): Ribbons and medals predating the issuance of official inaugural medals.
• Volume II: The 1889 Washington Centennial Celebration, the first national holiday and the genesis of the official inaugural medal and badge tradition.
• Volume III (1889–2001): Official medals and ribbons from the Harrison inauguration through the dawn of the 21st century.

A proof set of the books will be available for public viewing at the Florida United Numismatists (FUN) Convention, January 8–9, 2026 (Thursday and Friday), at the NCBA booth, #1202. A small display of inaugural medals, along with ribbons and original documents will accompany the proofs, and author Jimmy Hayes will be available to meet with attendees.

Hayes hopes the series will both enrich numismatic and historical scholarship and provide lasting support to NCBA through this philanthropic commitment.

“Each inauguration marks a new beginning in the unbroken transfer of power that defines our constitutional republic,” Hayes said. “If this work helps preserve that story—and supports NCBA in the process—then it has fulfilled its purpose.”