Baden was elevated to a Grand Duchy in 1806 under Napoleon's reorganization of German territories, and Charles Frederick — already in his eighties — found himself ruling a state nearly doubled in size through French patronage. The small billon issues of this period reflect the monetary disorder of the Confederation of the Rhine years, when silver fineness was routinely debased across German states to meet wartime fiscal demands.
The .375 fineness here is notably low even by Rhenish Confederation standards.
Baden was elevated to a Grand Duchy in 1806 under Napoleon's reorganization of German territories, and Charles Frederick — already in his eighties — found himself ruling a state nearly doubled in size through French patronage. The small billon issues of this period reflect the monetary disorder of the Confederation of the Rhine years, when silver fineness was routinely debased across German states to meet wartime fiscal demands.
The .375 fineness here is notably low even by Rhenish Confederation standards.