Mint date: 1876 Reference: KM-270. Mint Place: Baden (G) Denomination: 20 Mark Material: Gold (.900) Diameter: 22mm Weight: 7.92gm
Obverse: Bearded head of Frederick I as grand duke of Baden left. Mint intial (G) below. Legend: FRIEDRICH GROSHERZOG VON BADEN
Reverse: Crown of the German Empire above heraldic eagle with shield at chest looking left. Legend: DEUTSCHES REICH 1894 * 20 MARK *
The Grand Duchy of Baden (German: Großherzogtum Baden) was a historical state in the southwest of Germany, on the right bank of the Rhine. It existed between 1806 and 1918. The Grand Duchy of Baden remained a sovereign country until it joined the German Empire in 1871. After the revolution of 1918 Baden became part of the Weimar Republic as the Republic of Baden.
Grand Duke Friedrich I of Baden (Frederick Wilhelm Ludwig) (September 9, 1826 – September 28, 1907) was the sixth Grand Duke of Baden from 1856 to 1907.
Friedrich I was born in Karlsruhe, on September 9, 1826. He was the third son of Grand Duke Leopold (1790-1852) and of his wife, Grand Duchess Sophie (1801-1865), who was born Princess of Sweden, daughter of King Gustav IV Adolf of Sweden.
He became the heir to the Grand Duchy upon the death of his father in 1852 and the accession of his brother as Grand Duke Ludwig II. Due to his brother’s mental ill-health, he was Regent ad interim of Baden in 1852-1855, and took the title of Grand Duke in 1856. His brother, Ludwig II, died in 1858. He was considered a relatively liberal supporter of a constitutional monarchy. During his reign the option of civil marriages were introduced in Baden as well as direct elections to the Lower House of the Parliament of Baden in 1904.