Claim:
An image shared via social media shows an authentic “vampire killing kit” dating back to 19th-century Europe. Rating: (3)
Context
At auction, vintage “vampire killing kits” often claim they are genuine antique artifacts from the 19th century. While such kits may contain individual pieces considered antique, there is no evidence to back this claim up, or indicate this particular example dates from that era.
One image depicting what appeared to be an authentic antique vampire killing kit made the rounds online during October 2024 and attracted nearly 249K reposts and likes at time of writing (archived).
1. Vampire Killing Kit pic.twitter.com/FbGctUUGFg — James Lucas (@JamesLucasIT) October 20, 2024
Image Alt Text by an X user wrote as follows: Most vampire-killing kits presented as 19th-century artifacts may actually date from later decades of the 20th century; this particular kit, though, belonged to Lord William Malcolm Hailey from 1851 – Hansons Auctioneers and several publications have reported its date back then.
Hansons Auctioneers — the company which listed this kit for auction in 2022 — identified it as an 18th-19th-century vampire killing kit belonging to William Malcolm Hailey, an English Lord from 1872 until 1969 who spent much of his time serving India as colonial administrator. As reported on Hansons Auctioneers’ auction listing page, this vampire killing kit included items such as cross, pistols, holy water bottle with glass funnel, wooden mallet and stake.
(Hansons Auctioneers) Additionally, multiple publications provided similar accounts about its provenance when the kit sold for 13,000 pounds ($15,000).
However, no concrete evidence was offered as support for claims that Hailey owned such an authentic set of instruments used for vampire hunting during the 19th century or that Hailey ever used or owned one herself.
Jonathan Ferguson of Leeds’ Royal Armouries Museum has conducted extensive research on purported vampire killing kits over more than a decade and found no proof they existed during 19th-century times.
According to his various articles and blog posts, Ferguson has determined that kits first emerged during the mid-late 20th century due to Hammer Film Production’s popular low budget vampire flicks.
As we discovered when investigating another purported vampire killing kit in 2019, some kits may include genuine antique items – bibles or crucifixes for instance – that weren’t originally part of any kit intended to kill vampires.
Hailey once owned the kit under investigation here, lending credence to claims of its being an actual artifact from late 19th-century Europe — making it, if true, among the oldest known vampire killing kits by decades.
Unfortunately, Hailey never provided evidence to back her claims of once owning the kit in question — or any evidence to demonstrate its unique status among similar kits which tend to be modern recreations sold as novelty items rather than genuine vampire hunting artifacts.
Ferguson indicated through email that he was familiar with this specific kit but saw no reason for believing it represented an authentic 19th-century vampire killing kit, even if some items included could potentially be antique.
Ferguson declared the kit appears to him “like an obvious forgery”, although his attempts at reaching its 2022 buyer through an auction house proved futile and their identity wasn’t public knowledge.
Ferguson noted that in 2022 a representative for Hansons Auctioneers told him it had not acquired it directly from any member of Hailey family and did not possess hard proof that Hailey ever owned it, which ran contrary to previous reporting about it (for instance in this 2023 article archived at The Washington Post by reporter Erica Lutz:).
Charles Hanson of his company claims a relative of Lord Hailey (deceased 1969) approached them about selling this artifact; according to them it belonged to Lord Hailey but no documentation exists to prove ownership despite claims it had been acquired around 1900 and left sitting unused since. The kit has apparently sat unclaimed since 1969 at their relative’s home for 50 years until being presented for sale at this event.
Ferguson reported to him that, upon inspection of the kit at auction house, they discovered its true consignor was actually an anonymous private vendor without any familial ties to Hailey who purchased it through private sale.
Hansons Auctioneers confirmed via email that the individual who approached them with the kit wasn’t related to Hailey; rather it had come from Nottinghamshire in England where it had been acquired and included Lord Hailey’s name and address as well as items stamped with his initials as evidence for this connection.
Overall, there was no conclusive proof to demonstrate that the purported vampire killing kit in this photo is any more authentic than comparable modern kits made and sold as novelty products; thus we rated this image as miscaptioned.
Ferguson noted that authenticity doesn’t seem to matter for most buyers of vampire killing kits; many buyers understand they’re modern novelty items rather than authentic 19th-century hunting sets used for hunting vampires. Instead, these customers “buy into the fantasy, like spending hundreds for movie props.” He called these purchases an investment “buying into a film prop”.
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