Even after all the growing pains experienced getting the 1907 Saint-Gaudens eagle into production, there was one more challenge to be overcome. President Theodore Roosevelt felt that the inclusion of the motto IN GOD WE TRUST on coins was sacrilegious and believed he could have the motto left off of the newly-designed coins. The coins without the motto entered circulation in late 1907 and 1908 and immediately caused controversy among members of the public who took up the issue with Congress. In response, Congress passed legislation mandating its inclusion on all coins going forward. Later in 1908, Charles Barber added the motto on both the eagle and double eagle, as well as a few other minor modifications.

On August 12, the Denver Mint began production of the 1908-D With Motto eagle, eventually coining 836,500 pieces, roughly four times as many as those without the motto. The mintmark was usually hand applied in this period, so numerous minor placement varieties exist. On the 1908-D No Motto coins the D mintmark was very broad and bold, located above the leaves of the branch at the same angle as the rim in that area. When the Motto was added, the mintmark placement was lowered to near the end of the fasces below the leaves, where it remained for the duration of the series.

Many of the newly struck coins entered circulation in the West where gold was generally preferred over paper. They saw frequent use and received the commensurate amount of wear until they were withdrawn from circulation and melted beginning in 1933. As with many of the larger denomination gold coins of the early twentieth century, quite a few were used in international commerce where they spent long periods of time in large sacks with other gold coins where they suffered abrasions and bag marks. Beginning in the 1940s and 1950s and continuing to this day, many of these coins returned from their foreign sojourns. Finding a Mint State 1908-D Motto eagle that rises above the Choice level can be challenging. While PCGS CoinFacts provides an estimate of approximately 900 Uncirculated examples extant, they also indicate that perhaps as few as 40 of those are at the Gem level or finer.

The example to the left was sold by Stack's Bowers Galleries in the D. Brent Pogue Part VII Auction, where it realized $204,000.