Auction of purported vial of Reagan's blood halted Thu May 24, 2012 11:49am EDT (Reuters) - The British company that had been auctioning what it said was a vial of the late U.S. President Ronald Reagan's blood canceled the sale on Thursday and the owner will donate the material to the Reagan foundation, the company said. "We have negotiated with the consignor to arrange for the item to be withdrawn from the auction and donated to the Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation," PFC Auctions said in a statement. The halt of the sale came after the foundation expressed outrage over the auction earlier this week. The vial is purported to contain blood taken from Reagan at the hospital where he was treated after a 1981 assassination attempt. "We are very pleased with this outcome and wish to thank the consignor and PFC Auctions for their assistance in this matter," said John Heubusch, executive director for the Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation. PFC, based on the English Channel island of Guernsey, said the owner acquired the vial at a U.S. auction in February for $3,550. Before the latest auction was halted, bidding had reached $30,086, PFC said. Reporting by Alex Dobuzinskis; Editing by Cynthia Johnston and Doina Chiacu