Antique 'vampire slaying kit' includes Bible and crucifixes, slated to go up for auction

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Perhaps someone should've told Abraham Van Helsing about this.

An antique wooden box described as a "vampire slaying kit" is slated to go up for auction in England later this month.

The lot, which is being auctioned off by Hansons Auctioneers in Derbyshire, England, has attracted "major interest on social media," the auction house said in a statement.

(Credit: Mark Laban, Hansons)

REMAINS OF 19TH-CENTURY 'VAMPIRE' FOUND

“I know very little of its history," said the box's owner, who wished to remain anonymous, in the statement. "I have had it in my own collection for three years now. 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 owner of the auction house, Charles Hanson, noted that people "are fascinated" by vampire stories, going back more than 200 years to John Polidori’s "The Vampyre" in 1819 and eventually Bram Stoker's "Dracula," published in 1897.

“However, a belief in vampires and strange superstitions goes back even further and persists to this day," Hanson said. "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,” he added.

(Credit: Mark Laban, Hansons)

WHAT LIES BENEATH THE TRANSYLVANIAN CASTLE THAT IMPRISONED 'DRACULA'?

Along with the wooden box, which is lined with crimson silk, adorned with brass mounts, contains eight compartments, a carrying handle and a lock and key, the lot includes an 1842 version of the New Testament, an enamel painting that depicts the resurrection of Christ and a carved ivory wolf in robes carrying rosary beads.

Also included are three crucifixes, two pairs of fliers, a pocket knife, a pocket pistol, a vial with a metal lid with "contents unknown" and a bottle containing shark teeth, the listing noted.

The lot is estimated to be worth between $2,500 and $3,700. Bidding on the box and its contents starts July 21.

DRACULA'S CANNONBALLS FROM 15TH-CENTURY BATTLE FOUND IN BULGARIA

The belief in vampires has been traced back more than 1,000 years to Europe, with some people alleged to be vampires buried with stones in their mouths, Live Science reported. Others were pinned with rocks and iron bars so their "undead" bodies could not escape.

In August 2019, the remains of a 19th-century "vampire" were properly identified. Known as "JB-55," the Connecticut man was identified as John Barber, who was likely a poor farmer who died from tuberculosis, LiveScience previously reported.

Researchers recently found medieval cannonballs from culverins, an early form of cannon, that were most likely used by Vlad the Impaler, the inspiration for Stoker's Dracula, during his bloody battle in 1461 with the Ottoman Turks.

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