Recently, I discovered a small hardback book titled “Fortune Telling Birthday Book” -which was published in 1946.
It has 365 (one year) days of fortunes inside depending on what day you were born on.
Here is the September 1st fortune:
You are extremely generous in thought and deed, kind, hearty and robust. You have much sentiment, and are loyal to your kindred. You sometimes speak abruptly but don’t mean it unkindly. You are demonstrative and affectionate in your love, and will receive the same in return.
The fortunes in the book take me back to my childhood days back in the ’60s, when visiting the Penny Arcades of Hampton Beach, N.H. Once inside the arcades we would search for the Fortune Telling Machine (you know-those scary-looking, mechanical, fortune-telling mannequins seating in clear, glass-fronted wooden booths).
Dad would give us each a quarter to get our fortune for the day. Once the quarter was inserted, the machine took a few minutes to spit out your fortune on a flip card. (Maybe the genie/gypsy-life-size mannequin needed time to figure it out?) Of course, it was always what we wanted to hear: “You will be rich beyond your wildest dreams!”
Did you know? One of the rarest fortune-telling machines was discovered in a Virginia City, Montana restaurant. Virginia City was a famous Gold Rush ghost town from the western frontier days, and is currently a tourist attraction. The Gypsy is said to be around 111 years old. The voice speaking from the machine (yes, I said “voice”) sounds like someone who is -100 years old ( your fortune via a hidden record player verses a flip card), once a nickel is inserted into the machine. This particular fortune-telling machine is worth more than $3 million dollars. Most fortune telling machines sell for thousands of dollars if in good working condition. This Gypsy fortune-telling machine- so far- is said to be only one of her kind found in the world, per magician, David Copperfield.
Whom ever discovered and saved her from the dust, sure found their fortune!
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