The ruby slippers worn by Judy Garland’s Dorothy in The Wizard of Oz are being put up for auction by Heritage Auctions in Dallas, Texas, with early bidding starting at £425,000. The lucky collector will go home with the prized pair of shoes on December 7, at a potential payment of £1.5m.
The sequined low-heeled shoes are one of five pairs and were worn by Garland at 17 for the ‘30s classic, with her name also written on the inside. They will be sold alongside Margaret Hamilton’s Wicked Witch Hat, which is estimated at £77,000.
Ruby slippers from ‘Wizard of Oz’ hits auction
Garland’s ruby shoes are considered one of Hollywood’s most valuable movie props, as they got put on display at the American Museum of History. Joe Maddalena of Heritage Auctions also called it a pinnacle of the industry’s history.
Like in real life, the shoes were also highly coveted in the movie, specifically by the Wicked Witch, and it could make the return home to Kansas by clicking the heels thrice and saying, “There’s no place like home.” Speaking of home, they were stolen from the Judy Garland Museum in Minnesota in 2005, and it took 13 years to recover them from the culprit.
Who stole Judy Garland’s ‘Wizard of Oz’ shoes?
After the FBI recovered the historical item from Terry Martin in 2018, it was handed back to its owner, Michael Shaw, who also had the Witch Hat in his possession. Terry told the court he assumed the shoes had real rubies on them but was disappointed to find out otherwise and disposed of them.
Terry was found guilty of similar crimes in the past, and due to health concerns, he was given a lighter consequence for art theft as he was required to pay $23,500 in restitution. Three of the other four pairs of the ruby shoes are in the custody of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences of the Smithsonian Museum of American History, and the last with another private collector.