The obverse design of this coin features Miss Liberty adorned by a full Indian war bonnet with star-tipped feathers. This design caused quite a stir, however, the public got over their initial shock and quickly grew to appreciate the bold new design.

The reverse of the coin is adorned by a perched eagle with UNITED STATES OF AMERICA arched at the top, E PLURIBUS UNUM above and to the right of the eagle and the denomination stated as TEN DOLLARS at the bottom. The edges of Eagles minted from 1908-1911 are decorated with 46 raised stars--one for each state in the Union. Two more stars were added after 1912, recognizing two new states that entered the Union in that year.

Initially, President Roosevelt mandated that the motto "In God We Trust" be omitted from the coin's design, reasoning that they could conceivably be used for gambling or illicit purposes. However, in 1908, the motto was reinstated by an act of Congress and remained through the end of the series in 1933.