$200,000 lottery ticket nearly ended up in trash

July 19 (UPI) -- A South Carolina man said his scratch-off lottery ticket nearly ended up in the trash before he discovered it was a $200,000 winner.

The Lowcountry man told South Carolina Education Lottery officials he thought the $5 Emerald Green scratch-off ticket he bought from the Speedway station on Ladson Road in Ladson was a non-winner.

The player said he was preparing to throw the ticket into the trash a few days later when a family member gave it a second look and revealed it was a $200,000 winner.

"It was unbelievable," the player recalled.

The man said he didn't fully believe he had scored a six-figure payday until he visited lottery headquarters in Columbia and was given a check.

The winner said he plans to invest his prize money.