Possibly you’re seeking to full your Van Helsing costume for Halloween. Or, perhaps you’re simply after a cool collector’s merchandise. Both method, the vampire killing kits which can be presently up for grabs on the Rock Island Public sale Firm will match the invoice.
Three totally different vampire killing kits went up for on-line public sale at 9 a.m. on Oct. 4 as a part of Rock Island’s Sporting and Collector Firearms Public sale. The public sale ends on Oct. 7. In accordance with the corporate, “these kits have been assembled within the 20th century utilizing a mixture of authentic vintage, modified, and trendy elements.”
Consider it or not, there may be nonetheless a thriving marketplace for vampire killing kits, which turned fashionable in Nice Britain someday within the twentieth century when characters like Nosferatu and Dracula turned a part of fashionable tradition. Some will let you know that the modern-day kits lack authenticity and are little greater than a set of gimmicks, however whenever you’re speaking about items marketed for mythological beings, how “genuine” do they must be?
What’s much more stunning is the value that some persons are keen to pay for these things. The estimated worth for the kits on Rock Island’s web site are listed at $2 to $3 thousand apiece. And that’s small potatoes in comparison with this equipment, which a collector purchased from Hansons Auctioneers in Derby, U.Okay., this July for $20 thousand.
The vampire killing kits which can be presently up for public sale every embody barely totally different accoutrements similar to holy water, garlic powder, and varied crucifixes. However the core merchandise in each is one thing that no self-respecting vampire hunter would depart dwelling with out: a pocket-sized percussion pistol full with just a few “silver” bullets. In accordance with lore, these rounds have confirmed to be simpler towards werewolves, however they’ll most likely decelerate a lusty bloodsucker lengthy sufficient so that you can seal the take care of a well-placed wood stake to the guts. Additionally, whereas some paranormal specialists proceed to debate the existence of werewolf-vampire hybrids (vamp-wolves? were-pires?), it’s higher to err on the facet of warning this time of yr.
The percussion pistols themselves are actual antiques, and they’re the principle draw for a lot of the firearms collectors that Rock Island caters to. One of many pistols being auctioned is a basic Belgian boxlock muzzleloader with a walnut grip and a 1 and 5/8-inch barrel. The pistol comes full with a ball mildew, cap tin, and powder flask. One other gun, which falls extra into the novelty class, is an incognito underhammer pistol formed like a cross.
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The person elements included with every equipment are listed on the within of the wood packing containers that home them. Professor Blomberg’s Murderer Package, for instance, accommodates a number of small vials labeled “arsenic”, “belladonna”, and “hemlock”, together with one vial of Blomberg’s 5 Second Paralyzing Serum. The field additionally holds some commonplace ghoul-slaying tools, together with a small dagger, a poison dart, and a blowpipe to shoot it with. In accordance with the field, the equipment is simply as efficient towards Dracula’s spawn as it’s towards different unsavory characters.
“This equipment was made accessible for the destruction of anarchists, traitors, and anti-religious zealots,” the field reads. “Professor Blomberg is not going to take any duty for the misuse of these things and hopes they are going to be used solely by Officialdom and in a simply trigger. God Save The Queen.”
