The obverse depicts side-portraits of George Washington Carver and Booker T. Washington and the reverse shows a simple outline map of the United States of America superimposed with the letters "U.S.A.", and the words "Freedom and Opportunity for All/Americanism" around the rim.

This odd maximum mintage number took into consideration the remaining 1,581,631 Booker T. Washington Memorial half dollars that could be melted and struck as Washington-Carver coins, with the remainder being based on the 1,834,000 unused quantity earlier authorized for the Booker T. Washington half dollar.

Like the Booker T. Washington half dollar, the design for this coin was created by sculptor Isaac Scott Hathaway.

[2] One of the reasons behind the Carver-Washington half dollar may have possibly been to oppose the spread of Communism among African Americans.

One of Hathaway's early designs for the coin featured a three quarter profile portrait of Booker T. Washington behind the profile portrait of George Washington Carver on the obverse, while the reverse featured the American Legion seal with inscriptions such as "United Against the Spread of Communism.