The obverse design contains elements of the California State Seal. Minerva is seated with a spear and shield bearing the word “Eureka”, a grizzly bear is to her left, a horn of plenty is to the right, and a ship and miner at work appear in the background. Inscriptions read “United States of America”, “Liberty”, and “Half Dollar”. The reverse image includes two of the exposition buildings, the observation tower and the Sate of California building. The words “California Pacific International Exposition” appear in a circle around the image, with “In God We Trust”, “San Francisco”, and the date in the center.