An antique brass-trimmed wood box holding everything needed to fight vampires is being sold at auction.
The kit includes a 19th-century bible, a pistol and crucifixes. The new owner will need to provide their own silver vampire and werewolf killing bullets for the pistol.
The box has a crimson silk lining and an oval enamel painting on the inside of the lid that depicts the resurrection of Christ. The box also has a carving of a wolf with a hooded robe who is carrying rosary beads. This suggests that the box contents are also useful for fighting werewolves.
The box has eight compartments that hold a silver blade knife, an 1842 New Testament, percussion caps, pliers, a pistol, two crucifixes and rosary beads. A vial contains an unknown substance and there are shark’s teeth in a bottle.
In the 19th-century, many people took the dangers of vampires seriously and historical records indicate that people often armed themselves with anti-vampire weapons. The vampire kit is expected to fetch between £2,000 and £3,000. The winning bidder will also have to pay fees and commission payments.
The seller of the kit bought it at an antique fair and does not know its history or origins. It is not known whether the vampire kit was ever used against a creature.
Vampire kits are unusual antique items and will be rare. It is more likely to find antique chests and cabinets at Lancashire dealers that don’t contain implements to fight human or non-human foes.