I just wanted to share my medal (I bought it) celebrating the opening day of the Kiel Canal. The opening day was actually the next day, but I first thought this was presented by the British participants to the American participants. The British had a number of their ships in Kiel for the opening, and the U.S. had a few, including some of the Great White Fleet. The reason I thought this is that the front has the navy anchor device as well as the words "God Save The American Marine". From my understanding it's the British that generally use the term "God Save The....", so either they had input into the medals or ????. Also the back of the medal refers to it as the North - East Maritime Canal (in) Kiel. What is strange is that it's dated June 19, when the canal was officially opened on June 20th in Kiel. But after looking up some info on the web, I wonder if all the foreign naval participants were given this in some ceremony the evening before when all the foreign dignitaries and ships would have been welcomed (so as to not take that as a detraction from the next day), or whether it was only given to high-ranking officials of those navies there (a more limited mintage). I do not know. In Google books in [h=1]The Numismatic chronicle and Journal of the Royal Numismatic Society[/h] By Royal Numismatic Society (Great Britain) pp. 250-251 it references a similar one (only the inscription on the front states "GOD SAVE OUR QUEEN VICTORIA" and has her bust as the central device) as an English Medal by Foreign Artist: "OERTEL MEDALLIC ESTABLISHMENT, Berlin 179g. England represented at the opening of the Baltic Canal, 1895. Obv. GOD SAVE OUR QUEEN VICTORIA. Bust of Queen Victoria to l. No artist's signature. Rev. Inscription in nine lines: SOUVENIR OF THE OPENING OF THE NORTH-EAST MARITIME CANAL KIEL JUNE 19, 1895. 1-3 ; struck ; AR. The English translation of the German word "Nord-Ostsee-Kanal" is peculiar. The canal, across Holstein, between the North Sea and the Baltic Sea, was commenced in June, 1887, and was opened with great magnificence by the German Emperor, William II, at Kiel, on 19 June, 1895. England, France, Austria, Russia, Italy, Spain, Holland, and the United States of America were all represented by ships at Kiel. Separate medals were struck at the Oertel Medallic Establishment to commemorate the participation of each of these Powers in the opening ceremony. Of these medals that above described is, of course, the only one relating to England." Until 1948, this canal was also known as the Kaiser Wilhelm Canal, but now is generally referred to as the Kiel Canal.
