Retro 51 'Spitfire' Imperial War Museum

The first in the IWM Collection is the Spitfire N3200 Tornado™ Rollerball. Built in 1939, this Supermarine Spitfire Mark 1a was issued to No. 19 Squadron at RAF Duxford in April 1940. During the Dunkirk emergency evacuation, Squadron Leader Geoffrey Stephenson piloted Spitfire N3200 on its first and only mission during ‘Operation Dynamo,’ shooting down a Stuka before being shot down himself. He crash-landed on a beach near Calais and was captured, remaining a prisoner until the end of the war. The Spitfire sank under the sand and was recovered in 1986 after strong currents revealed it forty-five years later. Dr. Thomas Kaplan and Simon Marsh acquired it in 2000 and were dedicated to its full restoration. In 2015, it was donated to the Imperial War Museum and received by the Duke of Cambridge during a visit to Duxford, where he watched the Mark 1a fighter fly again after 75 years.

The Spitfire N3200 rollerball pen has been acid-etched with rivets and panels and then painted in the matching camouflage pattern. The plane’s tail numbers have been printed alongside the British Roundel and the top disc is printed with Britain’s tri-colour fin flash. It is complete with black-nickel accents that have the IWM logo on the top ring alongside the pen’s serial number engraving. Each Tornado is packaged in a commemorative packaging with foil stamp graphics representing the plane. Take flight with the Spitfire N3200 and feel the history in hand. Whether you pick up this one for yourself or a WWII enthusiast, this piece of history will be cherished for years to come.