A pair of ruby slippers worn by Judy Garland as Dorothy in the 1939 classic The Wizard of Oz has sold at auction for an astounding $28 million. Heritage Auctions in Dallas initially estimated the sequined shoes at $3 million, but intense pre-sale and phone bidding rapidly drove the price skyward. In just 15 minutes, the gavel came down, securing the final hammer price. With auction fees, the anonymous buyer will pay a total of $32.5 million.
Nearly 1,000 potential buyers had tracked the auction, with the slippers’ webpage receiving close to 43,000 views by the Thursday before the sale. The red shoes have a storied past. They were displayed at the Judy Garland Museum in Grand Rapids, Minnesota—Garland’s hometown—until they were stolen in 2005 after a thief smashed the display case. The shoes remained missing for over a decade before the FBI recovered them. Terry Martin, a 77-year-old with a history of burglary, was convicted of the theft. Martin reportedly believed the slippers were adorned with real rubies but discarded them upon discovering they were made of glass.
Rhys Thomas, author of The Ruby Slippers of Oz, noted that the shoes have endured “more twists and turns than the Yellow Brick Road.”
The Judy Garland Museum, which had campaigned for donations to reclaim the shoes, was among the bidders. Despite funds raised at the city’s annual Judy Garland festival and $100,000 allocated by Minnesota lawmakers, the final $28 million price proved unattainable.
The sale sets a new record for entertainment memorabilia, eclipsing the $5.52 million paid for Marilyn Monroe’s iconic white dress from The Seven Year Itch.
The auction also featured other memorabilia from The Wizard of Oz, including Margaret Hamilton’s Wicked Witch of the West hat, which sold for $2.93 million.
Of the multiple pairs of ruby slippers Garland wore during filming, only four are known to exist. One pair remains on display at the Smithsonian National Museum of American History.
