Since 1976, John Baker has run the Bakers Junction Railroad Museum in Smithville, Indiana. The museum — which operates a haunted house in old railcars — has fallen on tough financial times, so Baker's turned to an unusual source of fundraising capital. That is, his own severed thumb.

Here's John's story:

I was using a saw over my head but I only have one good leg & it has a bad knee & it gave out & I fell down & the saw jumped out & cut my finger off.

I dumped out a coke & put my finger in the glass of ice & my friend James drove me to the VA hospital 60 miles [away] but the saw mangled my finger up [too] bad to be put back on so I put it back into [my] pocket & brought it home.

I had my finger mummified & made [into] a key chain on a stainless [steel] chain set in clear plastic.

I am selling it to pay for a new metal roof for the two train stations at Bakers Junction Railroad Museum at Smithville Indiana & they need a new roof badly.