Story Sunday: Vampire Slaying Kit Up For Auction
Update:
“The hammer finally fell at £2,500 and the item was purchased by a private UK buyer.”
“The box has been valued at up to £3,000 and, includes a glass phial with unknown contents and a bottle of shark’s teeth.”
A “vampire-slaying kit”, containing a pocket-sized pistol and a 19th century copy of the New Testament, is going under the hammer. The gothic-looking container, worth between £2,000 and £3,000, also comes packed with pliers, [a] rosary and a bottle of shark’s teeth. Also inside the metal-bound box is an ivory-robed wolf carrying rosary beads, as well as a blue phial with mysterious contents, and a silver-bladed pocket knife. And inside the lid is an oval enamel painting that depicts the resurrection of Jesus Christ.
There’s no record of the box’s origin but, the 1842 copy of the New Testament within does bear the inscription of an Isabella Swarbrick. The current owner from the West Midlands, who wishes to remain anonymous, said that they do not know very much about its history. “I have had it in my own collection for three years now,” they said. “I bought it from a large antiques fair in Newark-on-Trent. I loved the look of the Gothic box and, when I opened it, I just had to have it. I thought it was so interesting…a great conversation piece.”
Charles Hanson, owner of the Derbyshire-based Hansons Auctioneers, the firm selling the box, said: “People are fascinated by stories of vampires, hence their continued appearance in films and on TV today. They have been part of popular culture for more than 200 years. The publication of John Polidori‘s The Vampyre in 1819 had a major impact and that was followed by Bram Stoker‘s 1897 classic Dracula.”
He added: “However, a belief in vampires and strange superstitions goes back even further and persists to this day. The task of killing a vampire was extremely serious and historical accounts suggested the need for particular methods and tools. Items of religious significance, such as crucifixes and Bibles, were said to repel these monsters, hence their strong presence in the kit we have found.”
The box will be sold online on [July 16] as part of a five-day-long antiques and collector’s auction.
Sky News
July 9, 2020
July 13, 2020 at 12:18 AM
Interesting. I thought the belief in vampires was in the 1400′ s ?
July 13, 2020 at 1:08 AM
Well…*scratching head*…this states that the word showed up in 1734:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vampire#Etymology
Vlad the Impaler that Count Dracula is supposedly based upon was alive in the 1400s:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vlad_the_Impaler
As far as when the actual belief appeared…got me.
July 13, 2020 at 10:52 AM
Wow that’s interesting.
July 13, 2020 at 4:41 PM
I totally agree.
July 13, 2020 at 10:04 AM
I love the box!
July 13, 2020 at 4:42 PM
It’s a neat looking thing.
July 13, 2020 at 5:23 PM
Yes and all the interesting ‘stuff’ although, they could be deadly
July 13, 2020 at 6:54 PM
Heh. The “phial” with unknown contents… A pocket gun, a pocket knife… I agree.
July 14, 2020 at 10:33 AM
🙂
July 13, 2020 at 10:34 AM
That’s a unique piece. Let us know what it goes for. Following comments.
July 13, 2020 at 4:43 PM
It’ll be three days before the auction. I wonder if I can sign up for a notice…
July 14, 2020 at 1:13 AM
Now, I don’t believe in vampires.
Anyways, I WANT THAT THING!
July 14, 2020 at 2:10 AM
If you got the money, honey:
https://hansonslive.hansonsauctioneers.co.uk/m/lot-details/index/catalog/81/lot/35455
July 14, 2020 at 4:18 PM
I’ve seen something like this before. It’s fascinating to know these kits actually exist.
July 15, 2020 at 12:04 AM
And, apparently, there is a market to sell them, too.
July 15, 2020 at 10:52 PM
Will that box work with modern vampires? Otherwise known as Politicians?
July 16, 2020 at 2:39 AM
LOL! It’s got a silver blade pocket knife, a pocket-sized pistol, pliers, rosary, shark’s teeth… The above states that “items of religious significance” repel monsters. I don’t think those work on political beasts but, sharp instruments and bullets would.
July 16, 2020 at 10:31 AM
I think I’ve seen one of these boxes before on sale a while back. It looks serious as hell as I’m sure it might have been.
I thought you were making it up for a second when I saw storyline.
July 17, 2020 at 1:53 AM
It does sort of look like a joke headline, doesn’t it?
July 17, 2020 at 9:09 AM
Yea but I have seen one before…I can’t remember if it was in person or an advertisement
July 17, 2020 at 11:20 PM
It’s definitely new to me.