The obverse features the head of a Native American man, wearing a headdress and facing left. The designer's initials, BLP, are found just above the date. The reverse features a standing eagle on a bunch of arrows, its left talon holding an olive branch in place. The mint mark is found to the left of the arrowheads.

The US Mints original plan was to use the Saint Gaudens design from the $20 but it proved difficult to fit so much detail onto a smaller coin, so the task was given to engraver Bela Lyon Pratt to design a new coin in honour to the Native Americans. This type has incuse legends and the portrait/eagle on the reverse have an unusual recessed design.

Coins are mixed year dates between 1908 and 1929
Approximately 4.18 grams of 90% gold and 18mm in diameter