Lost lottery ticket worth $50,000 returned to winner

Sep 23, 2011, 7:28 pm (35 comments)

Tennessee Lottery

John Holder must have felt like he couldn't win for losing.

The 45-year-old Columbia resident worked as a roofer until a back injury forced him to live on disability benefits. He's resided at an assisted living facility since December.

Then on Sept. 2 Holder's luck seemed to change. That's when he bought a winning scratch-off ticket worth $50,000 from a local convenience store. That same day, the ticket went missing.

He purchased the $2 "Jumbo Bucks" instant ticket at the Gulf station at 235 E. James Campbell Blvd. in Columbia while with a friend and a neighbor who had asked him for a ride. When they got back in the car, Holder's neighbor asked if he could hold the ticket.

"He wanted to take a picture of it with his phone, and he took a picture of it and said he couldn't get a good enough picture of it. So he said, 'Can I hold it?' and I let him hold it," Holder explained.

He said he drove his neighbor home. The ticket was nowhere to be found.

Holder reported the ticket missing to the Columbia Police Department and the Tennessee Lottery. He told them surveillance videos at the convenience store recorded the winning transaction.

Luckily for Holder, his signature was on the back of the ticket. A winning lottery ticket is worth cash to anyone who finds it until it's signed.

But without the original ticket, it was unclear whether he would ever receive his prize.

Then an anonymous envelope containing the winning ticket was mailed to the Tennessee Lottery headquarters in Nashville. The letter-sized envelope had no return address, and only the number "50,000" was written on the outside. It was postmarked "Nashville, TN." No message was included other than the words "lost and found" written on a piece of notebook paper folded inside.

Lottery officials called Holder Wednesday to tell him the ticket was found. After verifying the signature and Holder's identification, the ticket was validated and he collected his prize Thursday.

"I'm speechless," Holder said in a lottery press release. "It's good to know someone had a conscience and decided to give this back to me."

A copy of the ticket is now part of a permanent display at the Gulf Station that sold it. The clerk who sold the ticket said Holder's winnings are the largest the store has ever seen."We're delighted this all worked out, and it's a great lesson for all our winners. Always sign your ticket," said Rebecca Hargrove, president and CEO of the Tennessee Education Lottery Corporation.

Holder said he plans to use his winnings to help his two daughters and to catch up on bills.

"I figured the ticket was gone," Holder said.  "I figured it was burned, destroyed, torn up, something.  I mean, if I had stolen a $50,000 ticket, that's what I would have done with it.  I'm not going to go give it back to the person I stole it from."

"All I can say is thank you. They didn't destroy it, so no hard feelings."

Rebecca Hargrove, President and CEO of the Tennessee Education Lottery Corporation said, "Thankfully, Mr. Holder followed the recommendation from the store clerk where the ticket was purchased and signed it on the back."

"We're delighted this all worked out, and it's a great lesson for all our winners.  Always sign your ticket."

Columbia police could not be reached Thursday to discuss the status of the investigation.

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Lottery Post Staff

Comments

rdgrnr's avatarrdgrnr

His neighbor asked if he could hold it and then it got lost before they got out of the car?

Wow, that's a tough one to figure out who had it and realized they couldn't cash it in without getting caught and so just mailed it in.

Cuz don'tcha know everybody who happens to find a winning $50,000 lottery ticket just mails it in anonymously. 

Yeah, right.

Two things saved him - his signature and his neighbor's guilty conscience.

dr65's avatardr65

I'd like to see an interview with the neighbor...heck, I'd like to SEE the neighbor. Conehead

jackpotismine's avatarjackpotismine

Quote: Originally posted by rdgrnr on Sep 23, 2011

His neighbor asked if he could hold it and then it got lost before they got out of the car?

Wow, that's a tough one to figure out who had it and realized they couldn't cash it in without getting caught and so just mailed it in.

Cuz don'tcha know everybody who happens to find a winning $50,000 lottery ticket just mails it in anonymously. 

Yeah, right.

Two things saved him - his signature and his neighbor's guilty conscience.

True rdgrnr but just think what whoever took it (stole it) could have done with the ticket once they knew it couldn't be cashed by them. Just to be mean, the person could have destroy the ticket! Wow! Indeed this man was lucky it was returned.

CLETU$

With neighbors like that its time to find a new neighborhood.

Empress-N's avatarEmpress-N

"It's good to know someone had a conscience and decided to give this back to me."

Very happy for him, he was smart enough to sign it. Well done!!!

rdgrnr's avatarrdgrnr

Quote: Originally posted by jackpotismine on Sep 23, 2011

True rdgrnr but just think what whoever took it (stole it) could have done with the ticket once they knew it couldn't be cashed by them. Just to be mean, the person could have destroy the ticket! Wow! Indeed this man was lucky it was returned.

Yep, he coulda rernt the ticket but this here being Tennessee and all, they ain't no tellin, he mighta knowed that that ol' boy lived by the feud and he mighta liked to got his head blowed clean off too.

NativeSlew67's avatarNativeSlew67

What a great story! Reminds me of the old Bahamian adage "what fa you, fa you"! (What is meant for you, nobody can take from you). Nice work Todd.

TheOtherOne's avatarTheOtherOne

Last night I stopped at a Shell station in Franklin and the clerk was telling me this Columbia guy came in and shared his story. She said hecwad obviously shaken up and upset.

Sounds to me like it was his own friend that took the ticket (not the friends friend) because a phonenumber was given with the ticket when mailed. So I guess he was upset he has lost a friend.

Im with u Ridge: how do u let someone "hold" a ticket worth 50 K and not take it right back when they're done? Just doesn't seem to add up.

Anywho, glad this poor sap got his dough in the end...I wonder if he will use it to move out of the dump that is Columbia, TN?

sully16's avatarsully16

Glad he got his ticket back, I think we'll hear more on this.

LottoGuyBC's avatarLottoGuyBC

Quote: Originally posted by rdgrnr on Sep 23, 2011

Yep, he coulda rernt the ticket but this here being Tennessee and all, they ain't no tellin, he mighta knowed that that ol' boy lived by the feud and he mighta liked to got his head blowed clean off too.

I Agree!

guess we can foget about the tar and the feathers

& go str8 to the KILL Chair

rdgrnr's avatarrdgrnr

Quote: Originally posted by LottoGuyBC on Sep 24, 2011

I Agree!

guess we can foget about the tar and the feathers

& go str8 to the KILL Chair

Dadgum straight! Thumbs Up

rdgrnr's avatarrdgrnr

Quote: Originally posted by TheOtherOne on Sep 24, 2011

Last night I stopped at a Shell station in Franklin and the clerk was telling me this Columbia guy came in and shared his story. She said hecwad obviously shaken up and upset.

Sounds to me like it was his own friend that took the ticket (not the friends friend) because a phonenumber was given with the ticket when mailed. So I guess he was upset he has lost a friend.

Im with u Ridge: how do u let someone "hold" a ticket worth 50 K and not take it right back when they're done? Just doesn't seem to add up.

Anywho, glad this poor sap got his dough in the end...I wonder if he will use it to move out of the dump that is Columbia, TN?

He'd a had a hell of a time gettin turned aloose if he was ridin with me and "lost" that ticket, I'll tell ya what.

cbr$'s avatarcbr$

Disapprovegood , Mr holder finally get to enjoy his win. it really pays to sign the back of these tickets. But with a friend and neighbor's  like these who needs enemies. good grief!!

dpoly1's avatardpoly1

Pretty sure this would have gone the other way for me.

No one touches my Mega Ball or Powermillions tickets but me! Crazy 

 

Still just a Republican, because they picked the wrong numbers last nite!

Maybe Tuesday I will become a Rich Republican! Jester Laugh Will yinz still love me when I'm rich?

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