CREATING BONDS THROUGH MILITARY MEMORABILIA

Some collectors collect stamps, others, stickers. But ME2 (NS) Lim Geng Qi boasts a unique military memorabilia collection of over 1,200 items!

Stickers, stamps or figurines – many of us probably grew up collecting one or the other. But when it comes to unique and massive collections, it’s likely that few in Singapore can compete with Military Expert (ME) 2 (NS) Lim Geng Qi.

The 31-year-old marine electronics engineer owns around 20 different types of collectibles, with an estimated 700 coins, 300 ballcaps, 300 patches, 70 badges and more.

How it all started

A former Regular in the Republic of Singapore Navy (RSN) from March 2014 to March 2023, ME2 (NS) Lim served mainly as a C2 (Command and Control) Operator.

His hobby of collecting military memorabilia , however, only kicked off seriously in September 2017 during an exercise in Australia.

“One of the commanders from the Australian Navy transferred to RSS Resolution (the ship I was attached to then). She introduced herself and asked around our RSN personnel for a trade of her toy – a copy of HMAS Adelaide,” ME2 (NS) Lim recalled.

“I gave her all my patches for that one toy. This trade was the reason why my callsign was ‘Shepherd’ – it was inspired by her name, Commander Shepherd.”

He made use of the callsign “Shepherd” when he served as a Sensor Supervisor on board the Fokker 50 Utility Aircraft from 2021 to 2023, taking part in maritime air surveillance, counter-piracy, and search-and-locate missions.

Fascinated with the toy he received, ME2 (NS) Lim became eager to find out more.

“That trade made me realise that there was a whole collection of Naval items out there for me to collect, such as coins and ballcaps.

“Aside from trading physical collectibles, I became drawn to ‘trading’ our experiences too. Through meeting different people, I got to learn about everyone’s aspirations to join the Navy and their deployed areas.”

Designing his own collectibles

When ME2 (NS) Lim was serving the Navy, he felt that RSN collectibles were extremely scarce and exclusive.

“This disappointed me, especially after finding out there are more collectibles out there. Hence, I started this collecting journey to influence and start a coin culture within the RSN, which eventually led to designing and producing my own coins.”

ME2 (NS) Lim started learning how to design by using Microsoft software and teaching himself.

“My designs weren’t very good until my wife introduced me to this software called Procreate on my iPad. As I learned to draw, I started to figure out different techniques of drawing, such as depth and angles, through YouTube tutorials.”

During his Intermediate Specialisation Course in 2021, he volunteered to make a coin to commemorate his batch, and it was produced through a vendor.

This first coin took off in ways he didn’t expect.

Soon, ME2 (NS) Lim’s collector friends began requesting him to design for them too. These requests expanded to a variety of different people, ranging from private collectors to the other Services in the Singapore Armed Forces.

Building connections through shared hobbies

While some may think of collecting as a solo hobby, ME2 (NS) Lim disagrees. He has gained many memorable and impactful experiences with different people while pursuing his hobby.

“Interactions with local or foreign personnel are the best experiences I can ask for. Aside from trading, we often engage in personal conversations. I’ve even brought foreign sailors around Singapore after work and treated them to a meal or drink,” he fondly recalled.

Every item in ME2 (NS) Lim’s collection is authentic. He makes the effort to collect them directly from the respective unit personnel as well.

“I became quite a high-profile collector because I kept going around asking RSN personnel for trades. Over the years, I established a network of collectors from every squadron within the Navy. Eventually, people started approaching me to give me collectibles even before I ask!”

Now, ME2 (NS) Lim spends his free time with a close group of collectors from different Services, meeting up for trades and conversations. Who would’ve thought that a simple hobby could bring him so many newfound friends and memories?

When asked if he considers himself a military “nerd”, ME2 (NS) Lim’s response is a no-brainer: “Obviously, yes!”

He added: “Aside from collecting, I’m very interested in naval warships. I read up on the latest news on warship weapon development and learn about the different silhouette and capabilities of a ship.

“Now, I’m hoping to collect US (United States) destroyer coins and add them to my collection. Those are hard to obtain since they are stationed in specific deployed areas. Hopefully, in this lifetime, I’ll be able to collect them before I retire!”