An antique vampire-hunting kit discovered in Florida has sparked a fierce bidding war among online buyers, thanks to its imposing size, rare artifacts and a tiny zombie-priest figurine carved from bone.
The kit is believed to be around 170 years old. It was discovered by specialists at Zev Antiques in Hallandale Beach, north of Miami, and subsequently put up for online auction. Dozens of anonymous bidders have already pushed the price to $3,000.
Antique weapons expert Vlad Kretschmar, who jokingly introduced himself by his “real name” — Vlad the Impaler, after the legendary Romanian ruler who inspired the Dracula myth — told The Post that the coffin-shaped wooden case was most likely originally a violin case that was later converted to hold everything needed for a swift vampire hunt.
And this is certainly no ordinary gothic collector’s kit.
It contains two wooden stakes, a huge crucifix and a 19th-century Belgian pistol. According to Kretschmar, the gun could have been loaded with lead bullets coated in “various potions” designed to destroy monsters that were supposedly immortal.
The entire set weighs around 11.5 pounds (5.2 kilograms).
Alongside the weapons, the case contains various “spiritual accessories”: a prayer book with Latin text, a glass bottle for holy water and a wooden mallet bearing a burned-in cross.
According to the expert, the mallet was used to “nail the body to the ground.”
The kit also includes two elaborately decorated metal containers. They are believed to have been used to store rosary beads, silver salt and even so-called “consecrated earth” — essentially, soil taken from a cemetery.
A separate brass tin marked “SEL,” French for “salt,” was supposedly intended to create an “impenetrable circle” around Dracula and his fellow bloodsuckers.
But the most sinister item in the collection is undoubtedly the large dagger.
Its handle is shaped like a zombie priest clutching miniature versions of the very mallet and wooden stake included in the kit.
It has not yet been determined exactly what type of bone was used to make the figurine. The origin of the rusty stains on the blade is also unknown — theoretically, they could even be blood.
Meanwhile, interest in vampire culture has surged this year, fueled by a renewed wave of popularity surrounding the Interview with the Vampire franchise, whose third season has once again drawn audiences into the world of blood-drinking undead.
Viewers have become particularly fascinated by Lestat de Lioncourt, played by actor Sam Reid — a rock-star-like vampire with a famously hedonistic lifestyle who frequently appears on screen wearing very little.
The current vampire craze, however, is far from the first.
Eighteen years ago, another vampire heartthrob drove teenagers wild: Edward Cullen from Twilight, played by Robert Pattinson. The film’s success reignited a fascination with vampire legends among a new generation.
Kretschmar declined to reveal the identity of the mysterious kit’s original owner. However, he is convinced that the set most likely did not belong to a genuine immortal.
“They can go out in the sun,” the expert admitted.
Then he added with a grin: “You know, Florida is a tough place for vampires.”
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