Vampire Killing Kit Update!

As mentioned previously, one of the dubious Blomberg vampire hunting kits can be found in the Mercer Museum, Doylestown, PA. So, I decided to contact them, to get the lowdown on their famous "artefact".

Shortly after writing "The Scoop on Vampire Hunting Kits", I e-mailed Cory Amsler, Vice President, Collections and Interpretation, of the Mercer Museum ("Vampire Killing Kit", Thursday, 22 July 2010 12:15:51 AM):

Good evening,

Apparently, there is a vampire killing kit in your museum's collection, allegedly of nineteenth century vintage. Has it been authenticated?

Here's what he wrote back ("RE: Vampire Killing Kit‏", Thursday, 29 July 2010 11:29:17 PM):

Mr. Hogg -

It is believed to be one of the compilations of both historical items and "made up" artifacts that found its way into the antiques market sometime in the 1970s or 1980s. We had some portions of it analyzed in the labs of the Winterthur Museum and learned that the "silver" bullets are actually pewter (not a surprise given their lack of tarnish) and that the paper is of 20th century vintage that has been artificially "aged." We use it currently to contrast traditional and contemporary vampire "lore," help interpret the origins of some vampire beliefs, and to demonstrate the use of scientific methodologies in authenticating artifacts.

The "1970s" date is contemporary with Michael de Winter's claims, however, the pewter bullets present an interesting conundrum. You see, pewter is "a malleable metal alloy, traditionally between 85 and 99 percent tin, with the remainder consisting of copper, antimony, bismuth and lead." Yet, de Winter says the "silver" bullets in the kit he allegedly manufactured "were difficult to produce due to the higher melting point of silver when compared to lead".

Why didn't he just say they were made out of pewter?

I can take a few guesses:

1. The Winterthur Museum's analysis is incorrect.
2. de Winter forgot about making the bullets from pewter, or declined to mention it.
3. de Winter lied about manufacturing the kit.
4. The Mercer Museum's artefact is actually a replica of an extant fake. A Blomberg imitation, if you will.

And that's the thing. There's no doubt the kit's a fake. As Amsler pointed out, even the paper's been artificially aged. Despite the slight hole in de Winter's account, I'm yet to be convinced any 19th century vampire killing kits existed. Clearly, there was a thriving trade in these fakes, and it gets pretty tragic when the unsuspecting cough up nearly $15,000 for 'em. Word to the wise, folks: if you're gonna spend that kinda dough on an "antique", make sure you get the bloody thing authenticated first! Sheesh.

The Blomberg Effect

I've discussed the dubious authenticity of "nineteenth century" vampire hunting kits. Now let's take a look at a few more of recent stock.

But at least they're not fobbed off as "authentic". Perhaps spurred on by the popularity of these kits in auctions, looks like a niche market's been found: retro vampire hunting kits. There's been no shortage of prop makers stepping up to the plate to cater for this crowd, and they charge substantially less than the "vintage" models that sell in auctions ($US14,850 in one case).

The demand for these derivatives, and the subsequent market it's spun off, is what I call the Blomberg Effect. One such company that's hopped on board is Heroes Club. Here's their Special Deluxe Edition Vampire Hunter Killing Kit. It sells for US$468.


Then we come to Alex CF's incredibly ornate twist on the vampire killing kit: the Vampiric Anatomical Biological Research Case. While no specific price is given, his website mentions that a "typical research case is priced at around £1000."


His French Vampyr Hunting Case No. 3 is no longer available.

Lastly, we arrive at the other end of the scale. The bargain bin stuff, if you will. Thus, you can buy Corpses for Sale's "Roman Catholic Approved" Vampire Hunters Kit, for a relatively measly US$85:

The Scoop on Vampire Hunting Kits

Vampire hunting kits, allegedly from the nineteenth century, have done the rounds in auctions, fetching high prices. But there's questions surrounding their authenticity. Are they legit?

I first read about these things in J. Gordon Melton's The Vampire Book: The Encyclopedia of the Undead (Detroit: Visible Ink, 1994). Here's what he had to say about 'em:

No discussion of vampire products would be complete without mentioning the several anti-vampire kits. The first such kit was alleged to have been produced by Nicolas Plomdeur, a gunmaker in Leige, Belgium, in the mid-nineteenth century. His kit included a real pistol made in the shape of a latin cross, a silver bullet, a wooden spike, powder flask, and a clove of garlic. The only known surviving example of the Plomdeur kit is owned by Val Forgett of the Navy Arms Co. A similar kit can be found in the Mercer Museum at Doylestown, Pennsylvania. This kit's wooden box contains a pistol, two silver bullets, a cross attached to a wooden stake, a magnifying glass, some garlic, and several "serums" especially formulated by the kit's manufacturer, reputedly a Dr. Ernst Blomberg. The kit was reportedly designed for nineteenth-century English-speaking travelers going to Eastern Europe (458).

Melton's used two magazine articles as his source for this info:


But I was still somewhat skeptical of the authenticity of such kits. After all, where were the contemporary references to their usage? The items, themselves, seem seem suspicious. As The Concrete Tomb of Hradzka notes:

You may, or may not, have the same gut reaction I did: "Hey, wait a minute." That's what a modern vampire hunter might pack (with the silver bullets in case you run into a werewolf), but it's not what a 19th-century vampire hunter would carry. Dracula met his death by bowie knife, Carmilla was hacked up with an axe (I think), Varney threw himself into Mount Vesuvius, and Lord Ruthven got clean away when Polidori got writer's block. If you go back to the lore (Montague Summers's fascinating THE VAMPIRE IN EUROPE is a wonderful source), you'll see that the way we think of vampires, and killing them, is most strongly based on 1) Stoker's novel and 2) the movies it inspired.

A startling answer to that quandary might've come in 2005, from a firearms hobbyist named Michael de Winter:

My story starts in or around 1970 when I was employed in the printing industry. My hobby was buying, selling and refurbishing antique guns. I sold mainly at the famous Portobello Market in London. My usual stock of guns for sale was only 10-20 at any one time and these tended to be of superior quality. I had a number of regular clients who arrived every week to see if I had any new stock. One of my regulars wanted a fine flintlock pistol and asked me to take in part exchange a Belgian percussion pocket pistol. I grudgingly agreed and allowed him £15.00 off the price of the flintlock.

So, here it is, a poor quality pocket pistol in mediocre condition! What to do with it? That was my question. Having an extremely fertile imagination and being an avid reader, I was inspired. It occurred to me that I could produce something unique that would be a great advertising gimmick and would attract people to my stall. The Vampire Killing Kit was on its way.

Then how does one account for the Belgian gunmaker, Nicolas Plomdeur, and Dr. Ernst Blomberg?:

Regarding Professor Ernst Blomberg and the Gunmaker of Liege, Nicholas Plomdeur, both these gentlemen were figments of my imagination and I was amazed to find mention on a Website of Nicholas Plomdeur’s early career in Paris.

Nonetheless, some express doubt with de Winter's confession. A thorough investigation of the claims about various Blomberg (and Plomdeur) kits can be read at Spooky Land. However, general consensus holds that the kits are fake, even if some possibly preclude de Winter.

There are too many anachronistic and urban legend-like elements in the stories behind the kits. Cited documents associated with their makers can not be traced, while others are revealed as outright frauds. If that doesn't attest to the fakeness of these things, I dunno what will.

Be Vewy Qwiet, I'm Hunting Vampiwers

Came across D. Dunham's "Vampire Hunting" list on Amazon.

Of the forty items, twenty-two are books. The rest...well...it includes items like a Thunderbird Forest 324194 Wood Stake 1"x2"x48", 80 lbs Cobra Self-Cocking Crossbow Pistol Cross Bow and a Black Cord Wrapped Boken Daito Wood Practice Sword.

So let's hope this guy's taking the piss.