Ronald Reagan's Blood Up For Auction; Foundation Promises Legal Action

Ronald Reagan's blood is purportedly being auctioned at online site pfcauctions.com, to the chagrin of the Ronald Reagan Foundation.

The vial supposedly containing the late president's dried blood was bidding at 7,587 pounds ($12,000) as of Tuesday with two days left in the sale.

The vial contains dried blood residue from President Reagan [which] can be seen clearly in the vial with a quarter-inch ring of blood residue at the end of the inserted rubber stopper, according to the listing. Included is a lab sheet and letter of provenance from the seller.

The blood was apparently gathered after Reagan survived an assassination attempt in Washington on March 30, 1981. The seller's mother worked in the laboratory that handled Reagan's bloodwork, Bio Science Laboratories in Columbia, Md.

The vial for sale was sent to be checked for lead, following the assassination attempt, according to the letter.

The testing was completed and the test tube was sitting on my mother's desk, the letter said. At the end of the week, she asked the director of her laboratory if she could keep the paper work and the test tube. The director of the lab told her no problem and really never gave it a second thought. It has been in my family ever since.

The seller claims to have called the Reagan National Library in Simi Valley Calif., to see if it had any interest in buying it. The institution took a pass. At no point did the thought of donating the vial or returning it to Reagan's family become an option.

I was a real fan of Reaganomics and felt that Pres. Reagan himself would rather see me sell it rather than donating it, the seller wrote.

The Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation's executive director, John Heubusch, called the vial's sale a craven act, promising to use every legal means to stop its sale or purchase, according to the Washington Post.