Post-1996 Bintang Temasek - Singapore

[achern]

Gents, I was able to photograph this specimen of a post-1996 Bintang Temasek, apparently of Spink & Son origin. Comments are most welcome.

-alf

[Hugh]

A very handsome piece. I admire the Sings for the fact that 1) they safeguard their medals from the likes of us, and 2) they don't hand them out like popcorn.

Hugh

[achern]

Indeed. It's almost impossible to buy any decoration of this level, and since it was instituted in 1970, nobody I know of has been awarded the BT. I wonder how many of these unissued pieces are in circulation.

[achern]

<p style="margin-left: 40px">Here is a close-up of the brooch pin with the Spink stamp upon it.</p>

<p style="margin-left: 40px"><img alt="" src="http://i11.photobucket.com/albums/a190/achern/bintang-temasek-3-obv-small.jpg" /></p>

[achern]

Here's a picture of the brooch pin with the Spink stamp upon it.

[achern]

An update on this medal. I took this piece to the Singaporean manufacturer and compared it with the several display examples of the locally made BT there and found it to be almost exactly identical, except these differences:

1. The swivel ring holding the medal to the suspension device was not as well-made, showing a gap where the Spink swivel is nearly seamless.

2. The brooch pin has the ELM stamp (naturally)

3. They had not come across a miniature of the BT thus far

One rather interesting point was that the star(s) in the centre of the medal were all inaccurately placed. None of them were perfectly centered, with some even less symmetrical than the Spink example in this post.

[kapten_windu]

Is this Grand Cross of Bintang Temasek?

[achern]

No, I think that is a 1962-1996 Order of Temasek, also known as the Darjah Utama Temasek, First Class.

The post-1996 version has a different red/white sash.

This is the second highest award in Singapore's ODM list, coming after the Bintang Temasek. Less than ten people have been inducted into this order thus far.

The BT, on the other hand, is equivalent to the Victoria Cross, and no one has yet been awarded this decoration.