Maryland couple surprised to learn $50 lottery ticket was worth $50,000

Nov. 30 (UPI) -- A Maryland couple who tried to cash in a winning lottery ticket for $50 received a shock when the ticket turned out to actually be worth $50,000.

The Woodstock husband and wife told Maryland Lottery officials they bought a Multi-Match ticket and a stack of scratch-offs during a recent trip to the store.

"We were out shopping when we both saw the Lottery sign at Kim's Liquors in Randallstown, so we decided to go in," the wife said.

"I scratched them in the order I picked them and two of the first three were winners," she said. "That fourth one, the Gold game, was the biggest winner I've had in a while -- $50."

The woman attempted to cash in the $5 Maryland Lottery Gold ticket, but the store clerk had a surprise in store for her.

"I was confused when the young man told me that he couldn't cash the $50 winner, that I had to go somewhere else," she said.

The store clerk explained he couldn't cash the ticket because it was a $50,000 top prize winner.

"When he told me that the ticket was for $50,000, I was stunned," she said. "I couldn't believe it was real."

The couple said their winnings will to go toward family savings and a possible future landscaping project.