5 Mark - Frederick I

Baden's 5 Mark pieces from this period were struck under the authority of the Berlin mint, which handled production for most of the smaller German states following unification in 1871. Frederick I had ruled Baden since 1856 and was among Bismarck's most reliable allies — his daughter Viktoria married the future Kaiser Friedrich III, making him father-in-law to one emperor and grandfather to Wilhelm II.

The Jaeger reference splits this type into a standard and a proof-finish variant (J#29F), suggesting deliberate presentation pieces were produced alongside circulation strikes across the issue's eleven-year run.