The ruby slippers worn by Judy Garland, who played Dorothy in “The Wizard of Oz,” sold for a record $32.5 million on Saturday. The famous shoe thus became the most expensive piece of movie memorabilia ever sold at auction. The slippers featured in the 1939 film are one of four pairs still preserved and the only pair stolen several years ago.
Bidding for the iconic ruby slipper started at $1.55 million, according to auction house Heritage Auctions, and it was originally estimated to sell for about $3 million or slightly more. However, this amount was exceeded within seconds.
Dorothy's shoes from 'The Wizard of Oz' are up for auction. It has been stolen before
None of the other surviving pairs achieved this value. One copy was sold for $666,000 in 2000, and in 2012 Steven Spielberg and Leonardo DiCaprio paid $2 million to purchase the other copy and donate it to a museum in Los Angeles.
Thanks to the shoes sold Saturday, Heritage Auctions made a record $40 million in profits for a movie memorabilia auction. In addition to the famous slippers, the exhibit also included: The hat worn by the Wicked Witch in “The Wizard of Oz'' has sold for $2.9 million.
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The high prices of these iconic shoes may have been influenced by their popularity. In August 2005, they were stolen from the Judy Garland Museum in Minnesota by Terry John Martin, now 77 years old. The man used a hammer to break the glass case.
Thirteen years later, in 2018, the FBI recovered the stolen slippers. Martin was sent to prison, and co-defendant Jerry Hull Saliterman's trial is scheduled for January.
Iconic Judy Garland shoes on sale
According to the Associated Press, Martin decided to steal the shoes after a friend told him, “The slippers were insured for $1 million, so they must be decorated with jewelry.'' When another person tells Martin that what he thought was jewelry was actually just glass, Martin disposes of the shoe.
In early 2024, it was returned to its original owner, memorabilia collector Michael Shaw, who loaned it to a museum and donated it to Heritage Auctions for Saturday's auction.
The Judy Garland Museum also participated in the auction, but was unable to raise the funds to purchase the shoes.
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