Mysterious vampire box sparks huge interest at Derbyshire auction

A mysterious vampire box containing objects reputed to ward off monsters attracted huge interest when it went under the hammer at a Derbyshire auction.
Barry Jones with the vampire box.Barry Jones with the vampire box.
Barry Jones with the vampire box.

Global media coverage sparked numerous enquiries and advance bids flooded in from across the world ahead of the Hansons Auctioneers sale on July 21.

The hammer finally fell at £2,500 and the item was purchased by a private UK buyer.

The lockable, velvet-covered box, lined with crimson silk, contained an oval enamel painting depicting the resurrection of Christ, carved ivory wolf in robes carrying rosary beads, percussion cap pocket pistol, cobalt blue glass phial with white metal lid (contents unknown), three clear and aqua glass bottles, rosary beads, three crucifixes, two sets of pliers, a pocket knife with mother-of-pearl handle and HM silver blade; a bottle containing shark’s teeth, and a copy of The New Testament.

The Victorian vampire kit sparked huge interest.The Victorian vampire kit sparked huge interest.
The Victorian vampire kit sparked huge interest.

Auctioneer Rik Alexander said: “Objects like this will always fascinate the world.

"We have witnessed media coverage as far afield as Russia, America and China and we’re delighted the item has found a new home.

“These types of boxes originated in the 1800s.

"They were serious kits in that period as superstition and fear were part of everyday life."

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.

Rik added: “It appears to have been assembled around the Edwardian period in England.

"By this point Bram Stoker’s Dracula novel was having a big impact. Many of its items are from this period.”

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