/24-7PressRelease/ - SANTA FE, NM, November 19, 2006 - In the murky lands beyond the forest bloodthirsty Count Dracula wanders. When the clock strikes twelve evil creatures like him are at their most powerful. If you must travel on, then for your mother's sake--wear a crucifix.
Transylvania, Dracula's home, is a place of beauty as well as mystery. If imagination is a window to the soul then Bram Stoker's 1897 vampire novel is a dark passageway.
Dracula was not so much a character out of Stoker's imagination as he was a living, breathing Prince of Darkness for those of us who poured over his tales as kids.
At the turn-of-the-century, in response to Stoker's 'Dracula' novel, vampire killing kits were supposedly sold to curiosity seekers and tourists in upper class European hotels and exhibitions.
Kits were also popular among nervous Brits headed to Eastern Europe and looking for ways to fend off vampires.
Many of the kits bear labels with what appears to be a fictitious person named 'Professor Ernst Blomberg.'
Blomberg reportedly assembled the kits in the 19th century. Many experts say the kits were actually assembled in the early-20th century.
Maybe vampire killing kits were tie-in products to Stoker's book? Maybe they were part of the patent medicine schemes of the day? It's anybody's guess.
One thing for sure, there are more around than you might expect.
They're unusual and attention-grabbers when they come up for auction. On Sept. 1-2 Garth's auction in Delaware, Ohio, offered a selection of vampire killing kits in its Arts & Antiques auction.
Read the entire article at http://www.LiveAuctionTalk.com.
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Rosemary has provided auction coverage and analysis on thousands-and-thousands of antiques and collectibles sold since the column started 16-years ago. She includes auction sale results to give readers a feel for what their treasures are worth because the power of auctions is simple.
When the bidding stops and the hammer falls, the value of an item is set. The buyer, not the seller, sets the price, and this simple distinction cuts through all the chitchat about what art, antiques and collectibles are really worth. The emphasis is on today's values, not yesterday's wishful thinking.
Each week another new article is posted featuring a particular area of collecting.
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Rosemary is the co-author of The Official Price Guide to Fine Art published by Random House and received her training in the trenches working as a professional appraiser and weekly columnist.
Contact:
Rosemary McKittrick
info@LiveAuctionTalk.com
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