Victorian vampire-slaying kit up for auction in Yorkshire *UPDATE - SOLD £7.5K!*

[Siliconous Skumins]

BBC News story:

A Victorian vampire-slaying kit is expected to fetch £2,000 at an auction in North Yorkshire.

The 19th Century box contains a crucifix, pistol, wooden stakes and mallet, as well as glass bottles containing holy water, holy earth and garlic paste.

The box was left to a Yorkshire woman in her uncle's will.

Link: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-york-north-yorkshire-18367300


I always have my doubts about the authenticity of these kits, it's not unheard of for "dealers" to mock them up using genuine antiques. Without provenance of it's history (someone noted to have owned it during the Victorian period) I would be wary about buying one at such a price.    I often wonder how many recent fleabay / Etsy steampunk kits have been sold as genuine by questionable dealers...

Nice looking kit though.  

SS

[Ant]

Caveat Emptor

Anyone buying a supposed antique should always ask for providence surely.

[Sir Henry]

Absolutely.

My first thought was 'I wonder which member of Brassgoggles made that?', because it is a very nice looking kit.

[Aleister Crow]

I wonder how many of the parts of the kit are authentic. Everything there would have to have been checked and confirmed as actual antiques from that period, right? It may well be worth the asking price as a box of antiques, even if the "vampire kit" claim is bogus.

[Flightless Phoenix]

If it comes with silver bullets for the pistol, that might add considerably to the value!

I looks great. I'd love to own one, but not at this price sadly =[

Might have to make one myself though.

[MechanicalMouse]

Not only adds value but doubles its monster slayer capability.

[Flightless Phoenix]

Which is of course highly important.

[Mr Peter Harrow, Esq]

Note the recent genuine news story about vampire burials in Eastern Europe being uncovered by archaeologists, someone cashing in on that perhaps?

[kidkunjer]

If it comes with silver bullets for the pistol, that might add considerably to the value!

I looks great. I'd love to own one, but not at this price sadly =[

Might have to make one myself though.

that's werewolves! vampyres have no problem with silver.

[Siliconous Skumins]

If it comes with silver bullets for the pistol, that might add considerably to the value!

I looks great. I'd love to own one, but not at this price sadly =[

Might have to make one myself though.

that's werewolves! vampyres have no problem with silver.

Actually they do. Well, it depends a bit of which version of vampire history you use, but it is out there in active use. The concept of silver being toxic to vampires is as 'faith based' as crosses. Unless they are an Agnostic vamp, in which case neither would affect them... 
Successful on-screen silver poisoning of vampires in: Dracula (1979), From Dusk to Dawn (1996), Dracula (1997), Vampires (1998), Blade (1998), Blade 2 (2002), Vampire Hunter D (2001)

Silver is considered to be a metal of purity and has been used for protection against evil in almost every world culture throughout history. Silver can be melted down to form amulets, jewelry, bullets, daggers and religious symbols such as crucifixes. Silver amulets and daggers can be put into the ground above the grave to prevent evil spirits from escaping. Silver nails drove into coffin lids are said to help prevent evil spirits from rising from the grave.
Silver being associated with vampires comes from an old Romanian tradition.


SS

[Capt. Dirigible]

If it comes with silver bullets for the pistol, that might add considerably to the value!

I looks great. I'd love to own one, but not at this price sadly =[

Might have to make one myself though.

that's werewolves! vampyres have no problem with silver.

And you  know of a vampire who can confirm that, yes?
They're fictional creatures. Most of the vampire 'rules' regarding their weaknesses that we know of were invented by Hollywood. Prior to Murnau's 'Nosferatu' there had never been any mention in any folk lore that vampires  would  go up in flames or disolve etc in sunlight but that's practically de rigeur now. Bats were never associated with vampires untiil the Compte de Buffon discovered a previously unrecorded  species in South America that fed on blood and named it after the creature in folk tales he'd heard as a child back in Europe. Since then bats are synonymous with vampires.
Vampires were always living corpses..until John Polidori created his suave, louche, aristocratic 'Lord Ruthven (based on his employer, Lord Byron). Since the  we've had endless aristocratic, smooth 'lady-killer' vampires. Each new generation of writers, film makers etc. introduce a new element to the melting pot of vampire traits . Who knows..in 25-30 years time vampires that 'twinkle and sparkle' in daylight could be the norm!  God forbid!

[MechanicalMouse]

The comment about silver had crossed my mind, but remembered there was a number stories with Vampires being effected by silver and decided to avoid it, specially since this place in inhabited by creatures of immense brain power (bloody martians). 

[Mr Peter Harrow, Esq]

If you read Kim Newman's Anno Dracula books, he incorporates every single version of the vampire in book and film, reconciling differences in appearance and powers as different bloodlines each with their own quirks.

Silver is effective against all vampires in this metafiction, other weaknesses e.g. Sunlight, religious symbols, stake through the heart,  even decapitation do not kill all vampires. One has survived guilloyining to grow a new body.

Mr Newman shows his working out at the end of the books giving his less obvious references. An excellent read having just finished the second book The Bloody Red Baron invoking WWI vampire fighter pilots. Everyone from the real Lothar Von Richtofen, to the fictional Biggles makes an appearance. Even Private Godfrey from Dad's Army makes an appearance as a Quaker Stretcher Bearer.

[Capt. Dirigible]

If you read Kim Newman's Anno Dracula books, he incorporates every single version of the vampire in book and film, reconciling differences in appearance and powers as different bloodlines each with their own quirks.

Always thought that was a stroke of genius on Newman's part. Wonderfully simple way off explaining all the different (and sometimes conflicting) attributes of all the other vampires who have been created by other writers/film makers.

[Mr Peter Harrow, Esq]

Quite true, both simple and elegant, and forms the basis of the plot device for The Bloody Red Baron.

[Aleister Crow]

I've read Anno Dracula and Bloody Red Baron about half a dozen times each; every time, there's little references I didn't catch before. One day, I'm going to sit down with those books and look up every one of them.

I just bought a copy of Judgement of Tears a couple of weeks ago to read once I've finished my Discworld marathon. Really looking forward to it.

[Captain Shipton Bellinger]

Anyone interested in 'Vampire slaying kits' really ought to have a thorough read of the information over at Spooky Land.

As good an examination of the provenance of the aforesaid kits, Dr Blomberg and gunsmith Plomdeur as I've seen. Well worth the time.

[Flightless Phoenix]

Newman started out writing for Warhammer's Black Library (as Jack Yeovil), where there are 5 different bloodlines of vampires, each with different traits, that's probably part of the inspiration for that in Anno Dracula.

I love Anno Dracula though, it's one of the best modern vampire novels in my opinion. I'm really looking forward to reading Bloody Red Baron, but I can't aford to buy books at the moment. I'm hoping one of my uni friend's (who I introduced to Anno Dracula) buys it so I can borrow it from her!

[Rockula]

£2,000 for a croquet mallet and some firewood? Bargain.

[Mr Addams]

Well, Thats another thing for my "to make" list.
I am pretty sure that I can bring one in for under the £2,000 mark.

[Captain Lyerly]

Ms Drage said the kit was probably made in the late 1800s

Unless she was mis-quoted, someone needs to look into pulling their license for that.  This is another of those mid-to-late 20th/early 21st "antiques".  There is NO provenance for any Victorian-era VKK, even as a tourist piece!

Past time some of these dealers were jerked up short.  Yes, most of the items may be antiques, or even all; but to claim (or insinuate) that they were put together in Victorian times as a VKK - when there just weren't any made - is fraud.



Cheers!

Chas.

[Dr. Madd]

A quick Question for our British Friends, Regarding that Pistol-what are the laws in the UK concerning antique firearms- Not wanting to start a major debate, just wondering.

[yereverluvinunclebert]

Generally it is OK to possess them as long as they are obsolete calibres. I have a muzzle loader percussion cap musket which is just classed as an antique although it would be possible to fire with a bit of gunpowder and a stone ball. No licence required. I have a Martini Henry carbine which is an obsolete .455 size round and can also be possessed as an antique. Both are still usable as weapons, one cannot really be used in a modern sense as it is so slow to load and the mere act of firing would probably kill me, the barrel is a bit brittle. I have never seen .455 boxer ammunition of the type required for the M.H. but I guess it would still let off a few rounds if they could be found. It isn't a Khyber-copy. The ammunition is so hard to acquire that it would be impractical to use it as a weapon beyond the first and probably last use. Anyone have any .455 chamber boxer rounds other than colour sergeant Bourne in the film Zulu?

If it is a modern calibre or a calibre which is still 'fireable', ie. .303 rifle or .38 pistol then it needs to be deactivated and you need a deactivation certificate. Regardless of the state of the licences/ownership/legality the police forces can still arbitrarily destroy your weapons if they feel like it. We can never show them in public, leave them on the back seat of our cars, walk around with them as they will be seized and destroyed. We lost the right to bear arms in this country after our last Civil war in 1642-1651 in order to prevent any future fratricidal war from occurring.

A pity that our overseas cousins didn't take the same approach after theirs...   <- that is a joke!

Back on subject - here's a simple unmodified icon based on the BBC image for your desktop, I'll update it and steampunkify it a tadge more later:

[yereverluvinunclebert]

@Mr Addams - there was a glut of khyber pass Scottish solid steel throwing pistols a few years back, one or two of those good-looking weapons, a cherry box or two, bibles and some old glass bottles and you have the basis of a good anti-Vampire kit.

[Captain Lyerly]

I wonder if the Mythbusters team would be interested in exploding this particular evil scam.  There are no "original" VKKs out there, because they just weren't made, weren't marketed, weren't sold - not even as "tourist souvenirs" - in the Victorian or Edwardian period.

Not that I don't think they are neat - and I hope to make one myself - but the people who claim that they are in any sense "real" - when the first one was put together no earlier than the 1960s - are perpetrating fraud.  As a modern conceit, like replica Confederate notes that prominently state "Copy" somewhere on them, they are fine.  But to pretend that they are real, Victorian vampire killing kits is dishonest.



Cheers!

Chas.

p.s. I have sent an enquiry to Tennants.  We shall see.