Ronald Reagan Foundation Pledges to 'Use Every Legal Means' to Stop Sale of the Late President's Blood-Stained Vial

A lot of people found it utterly creepy when Angelina Jolie and then-husband Billy Bob Thornton wore vials of one-another's blood around their necks. Well, naysayers, beware. Now, it seems that one lucky conservative -- or anyone who can afford it, for that matter -- may have the opportunity to own a medical vial stained with Ronald Reagan's blood.

As creepy as is sounds, the vial that was once used to treat the popular president is up for grabs at PFC Auctions, a British auction house. While the container doesn't come filled with blood, it apparently has "dried blood residue" from medical care Reagan received following a 1981 assassination attempt on his life. The Washington Times has more about the vial:

The slender glass tube with green stopper once belonged to a relative of a Maryland-based laboratory technician who actually analyzed the contents more than three decades ago. The mysterious keeper-of-the-vial held onto it, and eventually informed officials at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library of its whereabouts.

After some back and forth, the vial keeper got the green light to sell it, assuring the auctioneer that “everything was OK, National Archives was not interested in what I had, nor was the Secret Service, the FBI and other agencies … it was simply something that was of no importance at this time, and that I was free to do with whatever I wanted with it.”

While this was apparently said to be the case, The New Yorker has published some opposing details, including the fact that, rather than clearing the auction item, the Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation is attempting to stop it from being sold.

"If indeed this story is true, it's a craven act and we will use every legal means to stop its sale or purchase," said John Heubusch, executive director of the foundation.

In addition to taking all necessary roads to preventing the sale, Heubusch claims that he has contacted George Washington University Hospital to better understand how this incident occurred in the first place. He claims that the facility assured the foundation that an investigation is being conducted.

On the PFC Auctions web site, the seller explains, in detail, how the vial ended up in his possession:

“These articles have actually been in my family’s possession since 03/30/1981, the day that President Reagan was shot in Washington D.C. Back in the 70’s and 80’s, my mother worked for Bio Science Laboratories in Columbia, Maryland. Her laboratory was the laboratory contracted by Walter Reed Army Medical Center as well as the George Washington University Hospital to handle blood testing as well as other types of testing. Her lab did the blood work and testing for President Reagan.

The test tube and the lab slip that I have are for his blood work to be tested for lead on [Monday] 03/30/1981. The testing was completed and the test tube was sitting on my mother’s desk. 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. My mother passed away back in November last year [2010] and my father passed away in January 2009. Prior to their passing, they knew that it was the only thing that I wanted with regards to their personal property or money that they accumulated over the years…

According to Reuters, when the seller contacted the Ronald Reagan Library and Museum (the California-based outlet is run by the foundation), he was told that the Reagan family would like to have the vial back. This, of course, was not something that the individual auctioning it was willing to consider.

"I told him that I didn't think that was something that I was going to consider ... and that I was a real fan of Reaganomics and felt that President Reagan himself would rather see me sell it rather than donating it," the owner wrote on the auction site (read his or her complete description of the conversation here).