African Americans have made extraordinary contributions to the history and culture of the United States as part of the nation and apart from it. This month, Auction Finds presents “28 days (Plus 1)” of this collaborative history. The additional day is intended to break Black history out of the stricture of a month into its rightful place as an equal partner in the history of America. Each day, I will offer artifacts culled from the auction tables and my research, along with the stories they hold.
Feb. 9, 2022
A dream book of lottery numbers
In the late 1920s, Prof. Uriah Konje published a numbers book titled “The H.P. Dream Book. This Is Your Lucky Day. What Did You Dream?” It was designed to help people pick the right number for their big payoff.
His real name was Herbert Gladstone Parris, a Black man born in 1893 and likely the owner of one of the major dream-book publishing companies, G. Parris Company. He published five or more books on dreams and policy – an early (and illegal) lottery in the Black community – along with revised editions of some of the books. He also wrote under the pseudonym Prof. De Herbert.
Here are a few items from the 1920s book:
To see a race riot: 291
To see a black cat running across the street: 461
To see a train wreck: 514
When you stump your toe: 921
When your hands itch: 367
