Small Gold Baden Service Medal

[Beau Newman]

I just received this Baden group with the Small Gold Service Medal (silver gilt) on the Karl Friedrich ribbon.  The Baden Long Service was missing but, I had one to replace it with.  I started digging into what references I have on the subject.  I really couldn't determine what the actual criteria for the award was.  It ranks below the Karl Friedrich Silver Medal but, is actually scarcer with 400-500 awards on the KF ribbon vs. over 1,200 for the Karl Friedrich Silver Medal.  The only thing I can come up with is it was awarded to those who already had the Silver Service Medal but, who did not quite merit the Karl Friedrich.  It still seems that the number awarded is surprisingly small given 170,000 awards of the Silver Service Medal.  Am I missing something or is this just one of the many quirks of the award system?