Ruby slippers from ‘Wizard of Oz’ for sale nearly 2 decades after their theft

DALLAS — A pair of ruby slippers worn by Judy Garland in the 1939 movie classic “The Wizard of Oz” is up for sale, almost two decades after a thief stole the iconic footwear.

In a news release, Dallas-based Heritage Auctions said the slippers will be part of its Dec. 7 Hollywood/Entertainment Signature Auction. Online bidding has already begun, with prices already surpassing the $1 million mark when the buyer’s premium is added. Heritage said it would announce whether the slippers have met the auction’s reserve on Nov. 30.

The auction house received the sequin-and-bead slippers from memorabilia collector Michael Shaw, who originally owned the footwear, The Associated Press reported. In 2005, Shaw loaned the shoes to the Judy Garland Museum in Grand Rapids, Minnesota, the hometown of the actress.

During the summer of 2005, a thief smashed the display case and stole the slippers, according to the news organization. Their location remained a mystery until the FBI recovered them in 2018.

“It’s become an infamous thing for us,” Janie Heitz, executive director of the Judy Garland Museum, told WCCO. “We will forever be known as a place where the ruby slippers were stolen, which comes with a lot of bad but can also come with some good because it put us on the map.”

In October 2023, Terry Jon Martin pleaded guilty to one count of theft of a major artwork, the AP reported. Martin, who was 76 when he was indicted in May 2023, was sentenced to time served in January 2024 because of his poor health, WCCO reported. He admitted to using a hammer to break the glass of the museum’s door and display case; his attorney called the action an attempt to pull off “one last score” after an old associate with connections to organized crime allegedly told him the shoes had to be adorned with real jewels to justify their $1 million insured value, according to the television station.

In addition to the slippers, the hat worn by Margaret Hamilton Wicked Witch of the West is also on the auction block. According to the Heritage Auctions news release, the hat was screen-matched to the “Arrival in Munchkinland” sequence, when Dorothy Gale (Garland) first meets the green-skinned witch.

“The ruby slippers and Wicked Witch’s hat stand at the pinnacle of Hollywood history,” Joe Maddalena, the executive vice president at Heritage Auctions, said in the news release. “The ruby slippers embody magic and innocence that resonate far beyond film, representing a true cultural icon. Meanwhile, the Wicked Witch’s hat adds an edge of cinematic legend to this auction. Together, they offer collectors a rare connection to “The Wizard of Oz.’”

©2024 Cox Media Group