The pocketknife, because “you would need something bigger to cut off the heads of vampires,” he said, and the ivory wolf in robes — “I’ve never seen that.”More typical standard kit items would include silver bullets, herbs and holy water, he said. “Akin to the desire to have unique and morbid showpieces like mummies in 19th century Britain, having something like a vampire kit is a good conversation starter in the home,” he said in an email Tuesday night. According to Jim Spencer, an associate director at Hansons, the auction house does not know if the kit was really intended to be used to ward off creatures of the night. The container itself is believed to be from around 1780, according to Mr. Spencer. The New Testament Bible in the kit was published in Cambridge in 1842.

Source: New York Times July 18, 2020 13:30 UTC