A vampire killing kit that once belonged to a British aristocrat sparked an international bidding war before selling for six times its estimated price, according to Hansons Auctioneers. The late 19th-century box kit, which sold on Thursday for 13,000 pounds (US$15,736.49), belonged to Lord William Malcolm Haley (1872-1969), a British peer and former administrator of British India, Hansons Auctioneers said in a press release. “Whether out of fear or fascination, it is interesting to know that a member of the highest aristocracy, a man with a seat in the House of Lords, acquired this item,” said Charles Hanson, owner of the auction house. “It reminds us that the vampire myth affects people from all walks of life.” The box contains essential items needed to fend off the bloodthirsty vampires — such as crosses, holy water, a wooden stake and hammer, rosaries, a Gothic Bible, brass candlesticks, matching pistols, and a brass powder flask. “The task of killing a vampire was extremely serious, and historical evidence suggests the need for specific methods and tools,” Hanson said. “Objects of religious significance, such as crosses and Bibles, are said to repel these monsters, hence their presence in the kit.” The eerie object attracted bidders from around the world, including France, the United States and Canada. An anonymous bidder from the UK won. It is unclear whether the buyer will use the kit. But Hansons Auctioneers says: “Belief in vampires, an undead creature said to need human blood to survive, goes back hundreds of years and persists in some parts of the world today.”
