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.
(Click to display in gallery)
(Click to display full-size in gallery)
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.
I'd like to see an interview with the neighbor...heck, I'd like to SEE the neighbor.
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.
With neighbors like that its time to find a new neighborhood.
"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!!!
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.
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.
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?
Glad he got his ticket back, I think we'll hear more on this.
guess we can foget about the tar and the feathers
& go str8 to the KILL
Dadgum straight!
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.
Pretty sure this would have gone the other way for me.
No one touches my Mega Ball or Powermillions tickets but me!
Still just a Republican, because they picked the wrong numbers last nite!
Maybe Tuesday I will become a Rich Republican!
Will yinz still love me when I'm rich?
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.
He must not be a LP member because if he was he would have known you can't trust anyone but yourself with your winning lottery ticket, no even a friend. Some folks see lottery winning as unearned so they get a little jealous when someone else wins, even a friend.
1 lucky fellow
their must of been an angel by my side ~do you all remember that song?????????? i need some big head hundread's LoLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL
hey neighbor, i'll hold the tic. while you take the pic. and keep my face out of the pic.
Yeah, watch him say it was his ticket now and he's got a picture to prove it, lol.
think i'll just buy my tics. on the way home from work when i'm alone.
Yeah, they say your money might not change you but it'll change your friends.
That would suck if true.
I think when you win some big money, you find out who your friends are...or your definition of friends
changes for some of your friends. Some might make remarks they just can't help making, some may treat
you differently and some may resent it so much that they just flat out hate you. Those are the worst because
you can't trust them with anything once you won, nothing is sacred or safe anymore. These are the kinds
of people that need to be removed from your life immediately, if not sooner. Friendship never exists with
envy, hatred and contempt.
True words of wisdom.
I think it is true.
How could he NOT pay attention to where his $50,000 ticket was at all times? After 10 seconds I would have been holding my hand out for the return of the ticket. If they couldn't produce it, I would drive the car straight to the police station.
all i know is that love ~will save the day
/ who want to be rich??? in mind and spirt???/ it dont take alot "LOVE" who is the boss in Love ???
the rich life. "come on" inlighten ur self's
WOW!!!! I am so glad that he got his tickets back.......
The guy is one lucky son of a gun for having signed his ticket. I'm willing to bet his friend considered cashing it in until he realized it was already signed and then tried to give it back anonymously.
Congrats on the WIN !!!
Happy you got the ticket back - Good times ahead....
My tickets for tomorrows Mega Ball are safely signed and in a safe place.
for a small prize, such as 50k, ya sign the ticket
if it would of never got stolen, their would be no media at all, and he could of said no to phote op. so really no worry's
the issue i have thro, is In tennessee you can claim via trusts, and any legal setup really,
so Dont sign that powerball/mega millions jackpot ticket,
Just Do Not Say Anything About winning it
Dont go to a store and scan the ticket. its called read the numbers and match.
get like zap lock bags"keep water out" , maybe a fireproof key lock suitcase at home, or , get a laywer and setup a trust,and have him claim it for you. and have lawyer be public face and keep your name form public at all cost!
lawyer is only worth the money, if he makes it so, No one knows who you are, then hes priceless and have earned hes money.
onless you want everyone you know to bug you, and 1000+ people you don't know to ask money form you, and people try to rip you off etc.
signing the ticket is worst thing in world. this story moral should Not be about sign the ticket
the moral should be, TELL no one . no one be yourself needs to know you Won. if small prize, sign the ticket and claim with no press. or wear make up and wags, etc, and have pic then. lol
this guy told everyone around him, making a big scene, he won 50k!, this is 50k winning ticket, and then was shocked someone robbed him . Fool i say, fool!
lucky for him, he gets hes 50k, thro he wont get all 50kl, besides tax's, he now has a lawyer Leech to give some of hes money too for such a small prize
i hope this teachs people Tell no one, and dont you dare sign that ticket . just tell no one, and never show the ticket to anyone, hide it form everyone eyes
the only time my ticket will be seen is with large law firm lawyers. and lottery officals before public gets a phote of winning ticket.
however if you dont mind ever major downside to being a large winner, go ahead sign it, and plz go on curse of lottery, or how the lottery changed my life why your at it, and tell us all about how people don't treat you same, and beg you money, and how you had to move far away, etc, etc to someone learns form history and don't repeat it for once.
Yea!!!
Roger that, dr65.