The hype of fifths was, for a long time, a determining object in the lives of young people of military service age, a lottery that would mark the destiny of the chosen ones. The one we show comes from Ceuta and dates from 1887. Inside we can see the balls with which the draw was carried out. The numbers drawn from the hype would determine which youths should enlist and where they were to be assigned. The system of \"fifths\" was adopted in Spain at the beginning of the 18th century, with the arrival of the Bourbons. It copied the French recruitment model, based on the \"fifths\", which were so named because a fifth of the young men of military age were chosen for the service by lottery. Since then, and although the percentages and ages of the elect were varying, the name of the \"fifths\" has remained to this day.Preparando