You’ve seen them turn up on auction sites from time to time: “authentic vampire-killing kits,” attributed to a master craftsman, Professor Ernst Blomberg of Germany. (One sold for $12,000 at Sotheby’s.) A British museum curator explains how he proved them to be fakes — and why they’re nonetheless still very valuable.
The typical vampire-killing kit, supposedly carried around Europe by a bunch of Van Helsing-wannabes, consisted of a walnut box with a hinged lid, housing such items as a wooden stake and mallet, crucifix, pistol and vials of garlic powder.
Over the years, some have said they were authentic; others said they were made as souvenirs for gullible tourists who descended upon Transylvania following the publication of Bram Stoker’s Dracula.