Depicts the full figure of walking Liberty, with a long gown and American flag draped across her shoulders and billowing around her. In one hand, she holds a bouquet of olive branches, while the other hand is held outstretched before her. The sun rises from the lower left. LIBERTY is above, while IN GOD WE TRUST is to the lower right, and the date is below.

Weinman's obverse bears a resemblance to Oscar Roty's "Sower" design for French coins.

Depicts a bald eagle perched on a rock with wings raised in a defiant stance. A mountain pine springs from the rock, as a symbol of America. UNITED STATES OF AMERICA is above, E PLURIBUS UNUM is to the left, and HALF DOLLAR is below.

Weinman's monogram (AAW), normally placed near the rim of the coin at the lower right. A number of the later proof coins lack Weinman's monogram, apparently lost through overpolishing of dies. This is most common with the 1941 proof pieces—much of the year's production lacks the monogram—but is known for other years.

The reverse is similar to Weinman's medal for the American Institute of Architects, although the sculptor replaced the laurel on the medal with a pine sapling. Weinman's work on the medal had been widely admired for the power of the depicted eagle.

The bald eagle is a bird of prey found in North America. Its range includes most of Canada and Alaska, all of the contiguous United States, and northern Mexico. It is found near large bodies of open water with an abundant food supply and old-growth trees for nesting. Bald eagles are not actually bald; the name derives from an older meaning of the word, "white headed".