NEW YORK (CNN) - A series of letters that Ronald Reagan wrote during his presidency to Sen. George Murphy of California, his long-time friend and confidant, were offered for sale Tuesday. The collection is valued at $225,000.
The vast majority of the 41 letters between Reagan and Murphy have never been published, according to a spokesman for the brokerage company overseeing the sale.
In its announcement of the sale, 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."
Several of the missives criticized Reagan's Democratic opposition in blunt terms and characterized the media as overly partisan.
In a letter to Murphy dated 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 writes. "They've done quite a job on me as 'favoring the rich' in our tax policies."
In August 1984, just after the Republican National Convention, Reagan wrote "I just got back from the Convention, and all in all it was darn good. The press of course isn't happy -- no blood on the floor."
Nate Raab of The Raab Collection told CNN that the collection is valued at approximately $225,000, and serious offers are now being entertained.
"We are giving precedence to any institution devoted to Reagan's legacy, or an individual who will donate them to that institution," Raab said.
Raab also clarified that the sale of Reagan's letters will not take place in the usual auction format. "This is not an auction or bidding process, as we will accept such offers without the back and forth of negotiation or bidding."
The former president died June 5 in California. George Murphy, who spent much of his career as a Hollywood actor, served in the U.S. Senate from 1965 to 1971; he died of leukemia in 1992.
In 2000, The Raab Collection handled the sale of Reagan's letters to Lorraine Wagner, his close friend, to an anonymous buyer.
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