This astonishing sale, in which the shoes' price exceeded estimates by $25 million, came 19 years after the slippers were stolen from Minnesota's Judy Garland Museum.
Allstar Picture Library Ltd/Alamy Stock PhotoDorothy’s ruby slippers in The Wizard of Oz (1939).
Dorothy’s ruby slippers, famously worn by actress Judy Garland in 1939’s The Wizard of Oz, have been an iconic piece of American pop culture for decades.
While several pairs were made for the film, only four pairs are known to still exist, with one displayed at the Smithsonian and another previously housed at the Judy Garland Museum in Minnesota — until they were stolen in 2005.
Following years of investigation, the FBI recovered the slippers in 2018 via a sting operation in Minneapolis. Despite the ordeal, the slippers were in good enough condition to go up for auction this year, culminating in a record-breaking sale of $28 million.
This enormous sum wildly surpassed expectations of both attendees and the auction house, reminding everyone of the special place that The Wizard of Oz still holds in American culture 85 years after its release.
The History Of Judy Garland’s Iconic Ruby Slippers From The Wizard Of Oz — And How They Were Stolen
Simon Leigh/Alamy Stock PhotoA pair of slippers worn by Judy Garland in The Wizard of Oz at the National Museum of American History.
In 1939, The Wizard of Oz hit theaters across the United States, with up-and-coming child actor Judy Garland in the lead role as Dorothy. From its pioneering use of color to its legendary songs, it soon became one of the most widely beloved films in American history.
In particular, Dorothy’s red slippers became a classic symbol in American pop culture. After Dorothy makes it through a series of adventures and ordeals in the magical world of Oz, she clicks her red slippers together and repeats the phrase “There’s no place like home” in order to finally go home.
While several pairs of these red shoes were created for the production, only four survive today.
One of the pairs is exhibited at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History while another remained at the Judy Garland Museum in her hometown of Grand Rapids, Minnesota until they were stolen on August 27, 2005.
A thief named Terry Jon Martin broke into the museum after hours and used a hammer to smash the glass case that housed the slippers. He thought the shoes were covered in real gemstones, and when he found out that wasn’t the case, he gave the shoes away.
Eventually, however, the FBI tracked these famous slippers down.
Recovering The Original Ruby Slippers And Putting Them Up For Auction
Abaca Press/Alamy Stock PhotoA pair of the ruby slippers worn by Judy Garland as Dorothy in The Wizard of Oz.
In July 2018, FBI agents from the federal art crime unit set up a successful sting operation and recovered the stolen ruby slippers in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
Interestingly, the recovered pair was found to be mismatched. When art historians compared them to the pair of red slippers housed at the Smithsonian, they discovered that they too were mismatched. Finally, the two long-separated pairs were reunited.
In 2023, Martin faced trial for the theft and pled not guilty. He ultimately faced a light sentence of time served plus one year of supervised release and $23,000 in restitution, much to the disappointment of the Judy Garland Museum.
“Just to do it because he thought they were real rubies and to turn them over to a jewelry fence. I mean, the value is not rubies. The value is an American treasure, a national treasure. To steal them without knowing that seems ludicrous,” John Kelsch, curator of the Judy Garland Museum, told CBS News.
Now, a year after the theft case wrapped up in court, the ruby slippers went up for auction. At a Heritage Auctions event in Dallas, interested buyers gathered to both bid and observe the sale of one of American pop culture’s most iconic items.
“There is simply no comparison between Judy Garland’s ruby slippers and any other piece of Hollywood memorabilia,” the auction house’s executive vice president, Joe Maddalena, told The New York Times.
The Most Valuable Piece Of Hollywood Memorabilia Ever Sold
Wikimedia CommonsJudy Garland as Dorothy in The Wizard Of Oz, along with her dog, Toto.
Notable attendees included employees of the Judy Garland Museum, which raised thousands of dollars to bid on the shoes, even collecting $100,000 from the Minnesota Legislature.
In the end, the winning bid was a whopping $28 million, breaking the previous record held by Marilyn Monroe’s billowing white dress from the 1955 film The Seven Year Itch, which fetched $4.6 million.
After taxes and fees, the slippers cost the anonymous buyer $32.5 million. Unfortunately for the Judy Garland Museum, their loss in the bidding war meant the return of the crowd-raised funds. Now, they are considering building other Wizard of Oz-themed attractions, such as a miniature golf course.
“It’s kind of closing the book on a chapter of the ruby slippers for us and that’s OK,” Janie Heitz, the executive director of the Judy Garland Museum, told The New York Times. “I think it’s a testament to how important the The Wizard of Oz is to the world that they sold for that much.”
After reading about the ruby slippers, dive into nine shocking stories of Hollywood stage parents who exploited their own children, including Judy Garland’s mother. Then, read about Judy Garland’s spouses and troubled romantic history, as well as Garland’s tragic death at age 47.
