Thirteen arrows appear on the reverse of the 2026 Semiquincentennial dime.
The reverse shows an eagle in flight carrying 13 arrows. The number recalls the original 13 American colonies, a familiar symbolic number in U.S. imagery. The dime’s stated theme was “Liberty over Tyranny,” linking the design to the Revolutionary-era meaning of the 2026 anniversary.
The design can cause confusion because the Great Seal of the United States shows an eagle holding arrows in one talon and an olive branch in the other. The Semiquincentennial dime’s reverse instead emphasizes the arrows and does not include an olive branch. The eagle is shown carrying the arrows as a central element of the design.
Designer Eric David Custer described the imagery as a remembrance of Americans living through the Revolutionary War while still waiting for peace. The Citizens Coinage Advisory Committee recommended the arrow-bearing eagle design in July 2024, before the 2026 coin was issued.