Baden's 1868 Kreuzer came just three years before the Grand Duchy was absorbed into the newly proclaimed German Empire, making the entire late coinage of Frederick I a short-lived series. Frederick had been an early and enthusiastic supporter of Prussian-led unification, which meant Baden's independent monetary issues were effectively winding down by political choice as much as by historical force. The "Constitution" designation in the coin's title references the liberal Baden constitution of 1818, one of the earliest such documents in the German states.
Baden's 1868 Kreuzer came just three years before the Grand Duchy was absorbed into the newly proclaimed German Empire, making the entire late coinage of Frederick I a short-lived series. Frederick had been an early and enthusiastic supporter of Prussian-led unification, which meant Baden's independent monetary issues were effectively winding down by political choice as much as by historical force. The "Constitution" designation in the coin's title references the liberal Baden constitution of 1818, one of the earliest such documents in the German states.
KM#250 was struck at the Karlsruhe mint.