Dealer: Reagan letters worth $225,000
Most of 41 letters to be sold have never been published
(CNN) -- Letters written by President Ronald Reagan to a long-time friend and confidant were offered for sale Tuesday, a spokesman for the company handling the bidding said.
The vast majority of the 41 letters between Reagan, who died June 5 in California, and the late Sen. George Murphy of California were never published, the spokesman said.
The Raab Collection, a Philadelphia-based house of historic letters and manuscripts, said the letters show a side of Reagan "reserved for close friends and political allies."
Nate Raab of The Raab Collection told CNN the collection is worth approximately $225,000.
Several missives criticized Reagan's Democratic opposition in blunt terms and characterized the media as overly partisan.
In February 1983, Reagan expressed his frustration at the Democratic charge that his proposed tax breaks favored the wealthy.
"We're vulnerable on that one," Reagan wrote. "They've done quite a job on me as 'favoring the rich' in our tax policies."
In August 1984, Reagan wrote "I just got back from the [Republican National] Convention, and all in all it was darn good. The press of course isn't happy -- no blood on the floor."
Raab said the rules for this sale will be different from those of a traditional auction.
"This is not an auction or bidding process, as we will accept such offers without the back and forth of negotiation or bidding," he said. "We are giving precedence to any institution devoted to Reagan's legacy or [an] individual who will donate them to that institution."
In 2000, The Raab Collection handled the sale to an anonymous buyer of Reagan's letters to longtime pen pal Lorraine Wagner.
