Reagan's 'Blood' Auction Called Off

An auction for a vial allegedly containing President Ronald Reagan's blood has been called off, after officials at his presidential foundation fought to halt the sale. Instead, the vial will be donated to the Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation.

The consignor — who had bought the vial at another auction in February 2012 for $3,550 and listed it with PFC Auctions in St. Peter Port, Guernsey — agreed to cancel the sale and donate the item. The donor wished to remain anonymous.

In a statement released by the foundation, the consignor said canceling the auction was the right move after learning of the foundation's stance: "I am a serious collector of presidential memorabilia, and have donated to museums before, and thought from the provenance supplied at the auction where I purchased that the Reagan Foundation had no interest in the item." Having learned otherwise, the statement said, donating the vial "concludes the matter."

Bidding on the PFC Auctions website had reached $30,086 for the vial, which was advertised as containing a sample of Reagan's blood taken after the 1981 assassination attempt.

The episode raised the usual questions about the presidential-memorabilia market — where the line falls between collecting and ghoulishness, and who gets to decide. In this case, the foundation decided.

This article summarizes contemporaneous reporting, including the Washington Times' May 2012 coverage.