Vampire Hunting Kit

A friend of mine sent me this great picture of an alleged 200-year-old vampire hunting kit, with the message, “You know my birthday is just around the corner…”

It was apparently auctioned in Missisippi recently with a winning bid of $14,850 (link). I don’t believe for a second that the kit itself is 200 years old — no way someone would assemble these items before Dracula was published and before vampire fandom took root in American culture — but I wonder if someone recently put it together from various 200-year-old items they collected. It’s neat in any case! I just hope the sucker who bought it didn’t think this thing was brought along on any actual vampire hunting missions. I’ve always hated those corny vampire hunting kits they make nowadays for goth kids and Buffy fans, but this set here is something I’d love to have on display in my home to show off to guests, and also to have close at hand in case of emergency.