Owning a piece of a former president has never been easier. If you have roughly $14,500 just lying around your home collecting dust, then you may be interested in owning a vial that once contained United States President Ronald Reagan’s blood. The peculiar item, which once housed fluid spilled from Reagan’s body during the 1981 assassination attemptrecently showed up on the British auction site PFC Auctions.
Although the glass container no longer holds the specimen in question, there is, and I quote, “dried blood residue” still inside. If a little crusty fluid from a dead president sounds like a solid investment in your eyes, you’ve just struck a big ol’ batch of fried gold, my friend. Congratulations.
Here’s a description of the item straight from the official listing:
A 3½” x 1” white label has been affixed to the vial. It is printed, in purple ink, “REAGAN RONALD 940029 THOR / 610892572 AARON PRESIDENTIAL / SUITE 3/30/81 M 2/02/11 JAP.” 940029 was Reagan’s patient ID. AARON refers to Benjamin L. Aaron who was Chief of Cardiovascular and Thoracic Surgery at George Washington University Hospital where Reagan was in the Presidential Suite. THOR refers to thoracic. Reagan was admitted on March 30 1981 and M refers to male. The President’s date of birth is incorrectly stated as “2/02/11” when his actual date of birth is February 6 1911.
But wait! That’s not all! For ponying up such an outrageous amount of money for this morbid little curiosity, you’ll receive a document from Bio-Science Laboratories which gives you even more blood-oriented information to play around with. Still not interested? You’ll also receive a letter from the vial’s previous owner detailing its storied history.
Buyer beware: Michael Reagaon, Ronald Reagon’s son, calls the whole thing “bogus”. Additionally, John Heubusch, director of the The Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation, was horrified to learn that such an object was currently up for auction.
“If indeed this story is true, it’s a craven act and we will use every legal means to stop its sale or purchase,” he remarked in a written statement.
Those who really want to own a piece of Ronald Reagan would probably be better off picking up a copy of “Law and Order” or “Hellcats of the Navy” on DVD. It’s definitely cheaper, not to mention a hell of a lot less creepy. Better yet, why not watch the video for Genesis’ “Land of Confusion”, instead. You were going to, anyway.
