For just $1, the now dog-eared ticket offered the holder a chance to become the proud owner of a $7,800 “model home.” 

The year was 1935, and the house —1135 Jefferson St. — is now Mark Diekroetger’s company, Complete Business Services.

On Nov. 11 of that year, the American Legion hosted an “Armistice Night Dance” at the East Napa Pavilion, now the Napa Valley Expo. 

Sponsored by Legion Post 113, a photo on the back of the raffle ticket shows the Spanish style home as it appeared 73 years ago. 

It’s unknown who won the drawing that night. When Diekroetger bought the property in 1989, it was home to a photo studio. In the back half of the lot, formerly a garage, Diekroetger built a separate office space. It’s now the office of the Payroll Factory, owned by his wife Renee Diekroetger.

A few years ago, a man found the ticket in an old book and brought it to Diekroetger’s office.

Today, Diekroetger keeps the ticket in his own wallet.