McCartney Head Nets Man 2,000 Pounds

The man who found the head of a Paul McCartney wax figure says he originally found it in a garbage bin before he realized what it was.

Tony Silva told Britain's Reading Evening Post newspaper that he thought the head was a Halloween mask that had been thrown away before he realized what it was. He also claimed the 2,000 pound (about $4,000 Canadian) reward that Joby Carter, who lost the head, had been offering for its return.

According to the Reading Evening Post, the 41-year-old Silva has been homeless for three weeks. He told the newspaper that he will use the money to pay off some tax debts and "might treat myself to a hot meal, too.

"I couldn't believe it when I found the mask," he told the newspaper. "I was lying by the dustbins near Reading station and I had just bedded down for the night.

"The next morning, loads of rubbish had been left near me. I saw the mask and thought it was for Hallowe'en.

"Then I remembered reading about it in the paper that was covering me. A few days later I raced to London, jumping the trains."

He also added that he had been using the wax head for a pillow but "it wasn't very comfy."

The newspaper also reports that Silva emailed and telephoned Carter after he found his contact information on the internet, and the two will meet today to exchange the head for a 2,000 pound cheque.