Antique Vampire-Slaying kit up for Auction
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An antique, brass-trimmed wooden box has all the tools that you might require in order to slay a vampire, including a 19th-century bible, cross and a pistol.
According to Hansons Auctioneers in Derbyshire, this "vampire-slaying kit" is estimated to be worth about £2,000 to £3,000 England, which is taking bids on the box beginning July 21.
Lined with dark-red silk, the inside of the lid is decorated with an oval enamel painting showing Christ's resurrection. Next to that painting is an ivory carving of a wolf wearing a hooded robe and carrying rosary beads (though the auction listing only mentions vampires, it is not sure if the contents of the box are also suitable for dispatching werewolves).
Inside the box there are eight compartments holding respectively: a copy of the New Testament published in 1842; a knife with a silver blade; a percussion cap pocket pistol; pliers, cross and rosary beads; a vial with a metal lid — "contents unknown;" and a small bottle containing sharks' teeth.
Vampire folklore and the belief in vampires can be traced to the ancient world. Indeed, more than 1,000 years ago in Europe, cemetery safeguards were taken to protect the living against the restless undead, with suspected vampires buried with stones in their mouths or pinned in place with rocks or iron bars.
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Charles Hanson, owner of Hansons Auctioneers, said in a statement, for people who believed in creatures that 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."
However, Live Science previously reported, alleged "vampires" were usually identified as such because people did not understand how infectious diseases spread, or because they misinterpreted a corpse's appearance during natural decomposition,
As for the age and origins of this vampire-slaying kit — not to mention any indication that it was ever used to hunt and kill vampires — its current owner purchased it three years ago at an antiques fair in Nottinghamshire, England, and knows "very little of its history,"
The owner, living in West Midlands, England said, "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."
The vampire-slaying kit is part of an online auction of antiques and collectibles offered by Hansons Auctioneers, beginning on July 16. Other items include: 19th-century silver tableware, trays and cups; compacts and snuff boxes; and jewelry such as brooches, lockets and rings — though only the vampire box is described as an object of "supernatural interest."
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