A vampire hunter’s kit is up for auction in England, that’s according to a press release by Hansons Auctioneers and Valuers auction house published on Wednesday. According to the auction house, the lot will go under the hammer on 16 July and is expected to fetch between $2,500 and $3,800.
The vampire killing kit is a lockable box, adorned with scarlet silk inside. It contains all the tools that are believed to have been used to fight the blood-sucking creatures – pistols (reportedly with silver bullets), three empty bottles that were likely used to store holy water, three crucifixes, a copy of The New Testament and an oval enamel painting depicting Jesus Christ. In addition, the chest contains pliers, rosary beads, a pocket knife and a bottle containing shark’s teeth.
The owner of the box, who wished to remain anonymous, said the mysterious chest was bought in 2017. "I know very little of its history. I bought it from a large antiques fair in Newark. 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 auction house cited the owner as saying.
Hansons Auctioneers and Valuers auction house said the lot has sparked huge interest on social media. In recent decades there has been enormous interest in vampires, as the theme has frequently appeared in popular culture. The topic became especially popular following the 2005 publication of vampire-romance novel Twilight, which three years later received a film adaptation. The movie saga grossed over $3 billion worldwide.