You never know what might go up for sale in a British auction house. Someone decided that they could use some extra money and brought a mysterious box into Hanson’s Auctioneers last month. Once pictures of what’s inside hit social media, the internet went totally spastic. It seems that everybody wants one.
The box sparked interest ‘all over the internet’
Charles Hanson, owner of the auction house, has a pretty good idea why one particular box is going viral on social media. “Vampires are popular.” Everyone knows about Dracula, but the myth was around long before Vlad the Impaler set up shop in Transylvania. It will be around for a long, long time, to come. As the auction approached, the mysterious chest was expected to fetch somewhere between $2,500 and 3,700 in American dollars.
The current owner of the relic told Hanson that they “bought the box for its stylistic features and because they thought it would make a great conversation starter.” A stylish Gothic chest full of vampire killing gear is just what any truly fashionable coffee table really needs.
Back in the dark ages before television and the internet, people entertained themselves with scary stories. Vampires have always been one of the favorites. For centuries, people totally believed they were real so there was money to be made in the vampire killing profession. Whoever toted this box around was well armed.
Quite creepy looking
Historical accounts reflect that the profession of vampire hunter was taken very seriously and there were industry standards as to tools and methods of vampire slaying. The kit which just hit the auction block is a 19th century version described as “quite creepy-looking, with a lot of Gothic elements.” The box is also full of prime vampire killing equipment.
The box is tastefully lined in blood colored crimson silk, and “decorated with Catholic paintings and crosses.” An inventory of the contents lists such handy hardware as “a small pistol, three crucifixes, a copy of the New Testament – (Cambridge: J. W. Parker, 1842), a rosary, a silver knife, and three jars, one of which is filled with shark teeth.”
Everyone knows that religious icons repel evil spirits, and the box is stocked well with them. The final bid came in right in the middle of the expected range and the kit sold for an impressive $3,100 when the auction was held in July.