A vial of Winston Churchill's blood will cross the block at Duke's Auction House in Dorchester, UK on March 12 with an estimate of ?�300-600 ($463-926).
It was taken during hospital tests after he broke his hip in 1962.
 Winston Churchill was admitted to hospital after a fall in 1962 |
Timothy Medhurst of Duke's commented: "It is impossible to put an accurate estimate on this unique piece of history.
"At the time this blood was taken Churchill had already experienced a catalogue of injuries. So to have another devastating injury occur at such an old age was a threat to his stalwart 'British Bulldog' image.
"The blood will be sold together with a signed declaration by Patricia Fitzgibbon detailing the circumstances in which she acquired the phial.
"It is probably the first time that such a personal piece of Churchill's history has been offered on the open market. "
2015 marks the 50 year anniversary of Churchill's death. The blood is a poignant reminder of an injury which marked the beginning of the end for Churchill and as such, we expect there to be great interest in it.
Blood is one of the more unusual types of memorabilia and can fetch a premium at auction. A piece of material stained with Napoleon's blood made $11,871 in a French auction last year.
The unique nature of the vial, combined with Churchill's extraordinary place in history, is likely to result in a sale price significantly higher than the estimate. �??
