Depicts two baby eaglets and an egg within a bald eagle nest. The inscriptions include “Liberty” and the date “2008” separated by a star with the motto “In God We Trust” below. The obverse was designed by Susan Gamble and sculpted by Joseph Menna.

The bald eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus) is a bird of prey found in North America. The bald eagle is an opportunistic feeder which subsists mainly on fish, which it swoops down and snatches from the water with its talons. It builds the largest nest of any North American bird and the largest tree nests ever recorded for any animal species, up to 4 m (13 ft) deep, 2.5 m (8.2 ft) wide, and 1 metric ton (1.1 short tons) in weight. Sexual maturity is attained at the age of four to five years.

Bald eagles are not actually bald; the name derives from an older meaning of the word, "white headed". The adult is mainly brown with a white head and tail. The sexes are identical in plumage, but females are about 25 percent larger than males. The yellow beak is large and hooked. The plumage of the immature is brown.

Design: Susan Gamble
Modelling: Joseph Menna

Depicts the bald eagle “Challenger” with an American flag in the background. The reverse inscriptions read “E Pluribus Unum”, “Challenger”, “United States of America”, and “Half Dollar”. The reverse was designed by Donna Weaver and sculpted by Charles Vickers.

“Challenger” is a non-releasable bald eagle who has been trained to free fly at major events during the National Anthem. He is the first bald eagle in history trained to free-fly into places including the North Carolina Zoo.

The bald eagle is the national bird of the United States. The bald eagle appears on its seal.

Design: Donna Weaver
Modelling: Charles L. Vickers