Judy Garland’s Ruby Slippers from The Wizard of Oz Fetch $28 Million at Auction | Entertainment & Arts News
A set of ruby slippers worn by Judy Garland in The Wizard Of Oz has been auctioned for a staggering $28 million (£21 million).
These iconic shoes represent one of only four surviving pairs created for the 1939 film and have now become the highest-valued movie memorabilia ever sold at auction, according to Heritage Auctions.
The new owner is expected to pay an extra $4.5 million (£3.4 million) to the Dallas-based auction house, bringing the total cost to $32.5 million (£25.4 million), as per the Associated Press.
Initially, Heritage Auctions projected that the slippers would sell for $3 million or more, but intense bidding quickly surpassed that estimate, tripling the amount within just a few minutes.
Interest in the slippers surged alongside the success of Wicked, a film adaptation that serves as a prequel to The Wizard Of Oz, reimagining the Wicked Witch of the West’s character.
Sequin-covered ruby slippers worn by Judy Garland. Pic: AP
This particular pair of glittering red shoes made headlines in 2005 when they were stolen from the Judy Garland Museum in Grand Rapids, Minnesota, by Terry Jon Martin.
Their location remained elusive until the FBI eventually recovered them in 2018. Martin, now 77, was not identified as the thief until he faced charges in May 2023.
Reportedly, he took the shoes under the impression they contained real jewels, only to discover later that the rubies were actually made of glass.
Dorothy wearing one of the pairs of red shoes in a scene from The Wizard Of Oz with the Tin Man and the Scarecrow. Pic: Rex Features
Martin ultimately pleaded guilty and received a sentence of time served, given his frail health.
Following the sale of the slippers, the auctioneer informed participants that the previous record for entertainment memorabilia was $5.52 million (£4.3 million) for the white dress worn by Marilyn Monroe in The Seven Year Itch, which famously billowed over a subway grate.
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The Wicked Witch of the West tries to get her hands on the Ruby Slippers in The Wizard Of Oz. Pic: Rex Features
In 2000, another pair of ruby slippers sold for $666,000 (£521,000), according to Heritage Auctions. Later, in 2012, Steven Spielberg and Leonardo DiCaprio purchased another pair for $2 million (£1.5 million) and donated them to the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures in Los Angeles.
Other memorabilia related to The Wizard Of Oz, including a hat worn by Margaret Hamilton as the original Wicked Witch of the West, was also auctioned off on the same day.
The hat sold for $2.4 million (£1.8 million), with the total amount paid by the buyer reaching $2.93 million.
