An antique wooden box with brass trimmings contains all the tools you might need to kill a vampire, including a 19th century bible, crucifixes, and a pistol.
This “vampire killing kit” is estimated to be worth approximately $ 2,500 to $ 3,700 (£ 2,000 to £ 3,000) according to Hansons Auctioneers in Derbyshire, England, which is accepting offers at the checkout as of July 21.
Lined with crimson silk, the inside of the lid is decorated with an oval enamel painting showing the resurrection of Christ. Next to that painting is an ivory carving of a wolf wearing a hooded robe and wearing rosaries (although it is unclear if the contents of the box are also suitable for shipping Wolfman, since the auction list only mentions vampires.)
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Inside the box are eight compartments containing: a copy of the New Testament published in 1842; a knife with a silver blade; a pocket pistol with a percussion cap; pliers, crucifixes and rosaries; a vial with a metal cap – “unknown content”; and a small bottle containing shark teeth, according to the list.
Vampire folklore and belief in vampires date back to the ancient world. In fact, burials dating back more than 1,000 years in Europe took safeguards to protect the living against the restless undead, with alleged vampires buried with stones in his mouth or immobilized instead with rocks or iron bars.
For people who believed in creatures who rose from the grave to drink blood, “the task of killing a vampire was extremely serious, and historical accounts suggested the need for particular methods and tools,” Charles Hanson, owner of Hansons Auctioneers , he said in a statement.
However, suspected “vampires” were generally identified as such because people did not understand how infectious diseases spread or because they misinterpreted the appearance of a corpse during natural decomposition, Live Science previously reported.
As for the age and origins of this vampire killing kit, not to mention any indication that it was ever used to hunt and kill vampires, its current owner bought it three years ago at an antiques fair in Newark-on-Trent. in Nottinghamshire, England, and knows “very little of its history,” the owner told the auction house.
“I loved the look of the gothic box and when I opened it I just had to have it,” said the owner, who lives in the West Midlands in the UK and declined to be named. “I thought it was very interesting, a great conversation piece.”
The kit is part of a online auction of antiques and collectibles offered by Hansons Auctioneers, beginning July 16. Other items include: 19th century silver dinnerware, trays, and cups; compacts and snuff boxes; and jewelry such as brooches, medallions, and rings, though only the vampire box is described as an item of “supernatural interest,” according to the auction website.
Originally published in Live Science.
