Victorian vampire slaying kit up for auction: wooden stake and miniature telescope

Feel like Van Helsing: “creepy and mesmerizing theater”

A Victorian all-purpose vampire killing kit, complete with everything needed, is up for auction. The unusual lot is expected to fetch $5,000 or more. The set includes a wooden stake, holy water and a crucifix hidden in the Bible.

Cassell’s large, leather-bound bible contains only a few pages, further hidden inside is a locked box containing tools for fighting the living dead, especially vampires. Hansons Auctioneers said the Victorian set of tools included a wooden stake, holy water, a crucifix, a rosary, a brass hammer, church candlesticks, a small Bible and a miniature telescope. And if all that fails, the collection also includes a gun that will turn vampires to dust. The starting price of the lot was estimated at 5 thousand dollars.

All of these items date back to the 19th century, but they are believed to have been assembled into a complete collection in a biblical cache in the early 20th century. The name on the lid of the case reads “Miss I & F Willets” and, according to the seller, belonged to the American film actress.

But experts believe that it could fetch a much larger sum. A similar vampire set owned by former peer Lord William Malcolm Haley sold at auction in 2022 for a total of £16,900.

It is noteworthy that the sold set did not include the original container with the fake Bible, and before the start of the auction its value was estimated at only 2 thousand dollars. Also missing then was a wooden stake, a tool that is one of the most famous ways to kill a supernatural monster by piercing it through the heart.

“Discoveries like this attract buyers all over the world,” says Hansons Deputy Auction Director Chris Kirkham. “Vampire killing kits are a real theater, creepy and fascinating. Examples appear from time to time, some older than others, and they always generate great interest.”

Kirkham said fascination with the nature of vampires dates back to 1819, with the publication of John Polidori’s The Vampyre, followed by the classic ghoul novel, Bram Stoker’s Dracula, in 1897.

In the 20th century, sets of tools believed to be able to kill demons were created to be sold as novelty items to fans of gothic horror films. But vampires remain a popular creepy myth to this day, thanks to movies, books, and shows like Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Twilight, and The Vampire Diaries, to name a few.

If there was a need to kill a vampire, special methods and tools were recommended. “Sets, some more ancient than others, appear from time to time and they often attract great interest. Vampires, who are said to require human blood to survive, are enshrined in European folklore and ingrained in superstition.”

Hansons Auctioneers owner Charles Hanson noted that “Items of religious significance, such as crucifixes and Bibles, were previously thought to repel monsters, hence their presence in the sets. This example contains a composite collection of 19th century objects.”

According to the auction, all of these items are in demand today because of their novelty and because the vampire myth is still extremely popular. Fascination with everything dark and mysterious: vampires appear in modern times. However, references to them are over 200 years old.”