the New Testament is going under the hammer.
The Gothic-looking container worth between £2000-£3000,also comes packed with
pliers,rosary and a bottle of sharks teeth.
Also in the metal-bound box is an ivory-lined wolf carrying rosary beads, as well as
a blue phial with mysterious contents and a silver-bladed pocket knife.
And inside the lid is an oval enamel painting that depicts the resurrection of
Jesus Christ.
There's no record of the box's origin,but the 1842 copy of the New Testament within
does bear the inscription of an Isabella Swarbrick.
The current owner from the West Midlands,who wishes to remain anonymous,said
they did not know much about it's history.
"I have had it in my own collection for three years now and bought it at an antiques
fair,"they said.
"I loved the look of the Gothic box,and when I opened it,I just had to have it. I thought
it was so interesting-a great conversation piece."
Charles Hanson,owner of the Derbyshire-based Hansons Actioneers,the firm selling the
box,said people are fascinated by stories of vampires.
"They have been part of popular culture for more than 200 years.
"The publication of John Polidori's The Vampyre in 1819 had a major impact and that
was followed by Bram Stoker's 1897 classic Dracula."
and persist to this day.
"The task of killing a vampire was extremely serious and historical accounts suggested the
need for particular methods and tools.
"Items of religious significance,such as crucifixes and Bibles,were said to repel these monsters
hence the strong presence in the kit we have found."
