It might be time to clear out that old, dusty bookshelf.

A Canadian couple found a winning lottery ticket they had purchased more than a year earlier in a book that had been stored away for months – and they claimed the nearly $750,000 prize just days before the deadline, lottery officials say.

Nicole Pedneault and Roger Larocque of Montreal bought the Loto-Québec ticket last Valentine's Day as a gift to themselves, rather than flowers or chocolates.

However, with an April 5, 2018, draw date, the ticket was eventually "forgotten," lottery officials say.

Last weekend, Pedneault was searching through items from a trip to Japan that she had packed away months ago because her grandson wanted them for a show-and-tell.

That's when she noticed something sticking out of a book.

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"The first thing I did when I found the ticket in the book was go check the prize claim deadline on Loto-Québec’s website. I was so lucky to have found it in the nick of time," Pedneault said.

The couple claimed their prize Wednesday, but had they waited until after Friday, they would have lost the prize worth $1,000,000 in Canadian dollars, or just under $750,000 USD.

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"If my grandson hadn’t asked to borrow those items for his show-and-tell presentation, I would never have found the ticket on time," she added.

Lottery officials say that winners have a year from the draw date to claim their earnings. If prizes go unclaimed, they are put back into a pool and offered as bonuses for other lotteries.

The couple says they plan to use the money mostly for their five sons and grandchildren, but Larocque may buy a new car.

“We didn’t plan on celebrating tonight. But we’ll be sure to treat ourselves to a poutine with a double helping of gravy and cheese curds at the restaurant," he said.

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Follow USA TODAY's Ryan Miller on Twitter @RyanW_Miller