The iconic ruby slippers worn by Judy Garland in the 1939 classic The Wizard of Oz were sold at auction for an astonishing $28 million on Saturday, breaking records for entertainment memorabilia. Including fees, the buyer’s final cost will total $32.5 million, according to Heritage Auctions in Dallas.
The sequined shoes, famously worn by Garland’s character Dorothy as she clicked her heels and declared, “There’s no place like home,” have a storied history, including a theft that kept them out of the public eye for over a decade.
A Record-Breaking Sale
Heritage Auctions initially estimated the slippers would sell for at least $3 million. However, rapid bidding quickly surpassed expectations, with competing offers made by phone pushing the final hammer price to $28 million. Online bidding, which began weeks earlier, stood at $1.55 million before the live event.
The slippers were among other Wizard of Oz memorabilia sold at the auction, including a hat worn by Margaret Hamilton as the Wicked Witch of the West, which fetched $2.4 million.
Theft and Recovery: A Cold Case Solved
The ruby slippers were stolen from the Judy Garland Museum in Grand Rapids, Minnesota, in 2005. Thief Terry Jon Martin smashed the museum’s glass door and display case to steal the shoes. The case remained unsolved until the FBI recovered the slippers in 2018.
Martin, who had a history of theft, was indicted in 2023 and pleaded guilty in October of the same year. Due to his failing health, he was sentenced to time served. According to his attorney, Martin believed the slippers were adorned with real jewels but later abandoned them upon learning the rubies were glass.
The shoes were returned to memorabilia collector Michael Shaw, who had originally loaned them to the museum.
A Legacy of Hollywood Memorabilia
The ruby slippers are one of four surviving pairs worn by Garland during the filming of The Wizard of Oz. They have become one of the most iconic pieces of Hollywood history, with a narrative as dramatic as the movie itself.
“The twists and turns of these slippers’ journey rival the Yellow Brick Road,” said Rhys Thomas, author of The Ruby Slippers of Oz.
Over 800 bidders tracked the auction, and more than 43,000 visitors viewed the auction page in anticipation. While the Judy Garland Museum in Grand Rapids was among the bidders, it ultimately did not place the winning offer despite a campaign for donations and funding support from the city and state.
Memorabilia’s Everlasting Appeal
The auction further highlighted the enduring legacy of The Wizard of Oz, bolstered recently by the release of the Wicked film adaptation, which revisits the origin story of the Wicked Witch of the West.
The slippers’ sale shattered the previous entertainment memorabilia record of $5.52 million for Marilyn Monroe’s iconic white dress from The Seven Year Itch.
For the buyer of the ruby slippers, owning this piece of Hollywood history represents not just an investment but a connection to one of cinema’s most beloved stories.
