1 Groschen - Ernest Frederick

Ernest Frederick ruled Baden-Durlach from 1584 until his death in 1604, a reign complicated by the division of Baden between the Catholic Baden-Baden and Protestant Baden-Durlach lines — a confessional split that hardened considerably in the years this coin was struck, just as the wider German territories braced for the conflicts that would eventually erupt in 1618. Small silver groschen issues of this type circulated heavily in the Upper Rhine region, passing through markets in Pforzheim and Durlach with little ceremony.

The two-year span of this issue, 1595–1596, likely reflects a short-term minting contract or a constrained silver supply rather than any policy decision.