Thieves grab smoker glass valued as art

ALBUQUERQUE (KRQE) - An Albuquerque store owner said some crooks walked away with some pretty pricey glass pieces that they may have thought were just used to smoke up.

The elaborate pipes, however, are considered collectibles.

Jay Steinberg, owner of Birdland the Hippie Store in Nob Hill, said it was like a kick to the stomach when he walked into his store the day after Thanksgiving to find he had been ripped off.

“They came and kicked this door completely in,” Steinberg said. “They very quickly took everything from the back of it, and they were out the door that quick."

Steinberg believes the crooks knew what to take and where to find it, and that has him thinking they had shopped at the store before.

He said they're probably smoking up with the stolen goods never realizing just how valuable the pieces are.

“They took one piece that actually has national recognition by an artist named Nathanial Banjo,” Steinberg said.

That piece was only one of the 10 the thieves took. Steinberg said the elaborate pieces of artwork carried a total value of about $10,000.

“I kind of call this an art glass gallery,” Steinberg said.

Steinberg said while pipes have sometimes been plagued with a bad reputation they've also become a form of glass-blowing art.

“They're putting 30-40 pieces of glass together to complete the piece of art but functional and working,” Steinberg said.

That's what attracts not only smokers but collectors to buy the pricey pieces. He now hopes the attractive stolen pieces will catch the eye of someone on the streets.

He said one customer told him they believe they saw one of the pipes at a party.

The store has been up and running for 18 years in the Nob Hill area. Steinberg said this is the store’s first theft.