Giant hammer artwork stolen in Northern California

Associated Press
In this April 2017 photo released by Doug Unkrey, artist Unkrey poses for a photo with a large hammer he created at his studio in Geyserville, Calif. The Santa Rosa Press-Democrat says police in Healdsburg in California's wine country are looking for the enormous artwork that vanished in the first weekend of October 2018. (Erika Linn via AP)

HEALDSBURG, Calif. (AP) — Authorities in Northern California are looking for a hammer. A really, really big one.

The Santa Rosa Press-Democrat says police in Healdsburg in California's wine country are looking for an enormous artwork that vanished over the weekend.

The artwork was an 800-pound ball-peen hammer made of metal with a long redwood handle. The hammer measures 21 feet long and the head is 6 feet tall.

The piece, valued at $15,000, was loaned by the artist about a year ago to the Healdsburg Community Center. It vanished from the lawn sometime Friday night or Saturday morning.

The artist, Doug Unkrey, says it would have required about eight people or a flatbed trailer with a winch to carry off his work.

Police, of course, want to nail the thieves.