5 Mark - Frederick I Reign

Frederick I of Baden reigned for over fifty years, but this 1902 five-mark piece was struck to mark his golden jubilee on the throne — fifty years as Grand Duke, a tenure that outlasted four German Kaisers and the founding of the Reich itself. Baden under Frederick was notably pro-Prussian, and he reportedly urged Bismarck to offer the imperial crown to Wilhelm I in 1871. The jubilee issue was produced at the Karlsruhe mint, which struck all Baden coinage under the empire.

Mintage was limited to commemorative purposes, keeping circulated survivors relatively scarce.