You can soon bid on a vial of Winston Churchill's blood

(Image credit: Hulton Archive via Getty Images)

published 25 February 2015

In 1940, Winston Churchill said that he had "nothing to offer but blood, toil, tears, and sweat." We can't speak to the toil, tears, and sweat, but on March 12, Duke's Auctioneers will put a price on Churchill's blood.

The blood vial to be auctioned was collected at London's Middlesex Hospital in 1962, when Churchill was treated for a hip injury, The New York Times reports. Patricia Fitzgibbon, a student nurse, kept the blood vial as a souvenir from Churchill's visit. When Fitzgibbon died, she gave it to a friend, who is selling it this year, in commemoration of the 50th anniversary of Churchill's death.

Timothy Medhurst, an auctioneer and appraiser at Duke's, told the Times that the blood vial's value "is a very difficult thing to estimate." He added that the blood sample is "the most poignant and unique memorabilia" the auction house has ever seen. Medhurst expects the blood will be sold for at least $1,550 at the auction.