Own a Piece of Hollywood History: Judy Garland’s Ruby Slippers Are Up for Auction
Once stolen, the famed and rare ruby heels are up for auction—own them but be ready to pay a hefty price!
“There’s no place like home,” and there’s no shoe like Dorothy’s ruby red slippers worn by Judy Garland in the 1939 film, The Wizard of Oz. And you can own them: The iconic shoes, an integral part of the movie’s storyline, are officially up for auction.
The slippers from the Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) classic are being auctioned by Heritage Auctions, with the current bid at $812,500, not including the buyer’s premium, an extra fee paid by the winning bidder to the auction house. Adding in that extra bit, the slippers are going for a whopping total of $1,015,625—which could rise further. The shoes will be available in auction until December 7.
According to the auction site, “Taken together, these are the primary pairs of shoes worn by Judy Garland through most of the film, including all but a few of the most memorable scenes.”
All about the ruby slippers
Heritage Auctions has described the slippers as “a vintage pair of Innes Shoe Co. red silk faille heels with uppers and heels covered with hand-sequined silk georgette, lined in white leather, and the leather soles are painted red with orange felt adhered to the front foundation of each shoe.” The shoes are either a size 5 or 6, as Garland wore both sizes in the film.
Additionally, “The bows are made of hand-cut buckram cloth and are slightly different in size. Rhinestones rim the bows, which are filled with bugle beads surrounding three center jewels.” These slippers are “darker in color than any other known pair—a rich burgundy, likely the result of careful storage out of direct light.”
These shoes are just one of four known pairs of ruby slippers worn by Garland, with one pair being held in the Smithsonian Museum. In fact, the right and left slippers being auctioned belong to two separate pairs used in the film, with the Smithsonian having the other mismatched pair.
The untold history of the ruby slippers
The auction pair of slippers, which were used in classic moments in the film including the “We’re Off to See the Wizard” scene, as well as the heel tapping and poppy field scenes, have a very interesting backstory.
In 1970, MGM auctioned off countless items from the studio and the slippers were taken into possession by Michael Shaw, a collector. Beginning in the 1980s, the new owner would display the slippers all around the country in different museums. One of these places was the Judy Garland Museum in Grand Rapids, Minnesota.
While held at the Minnesota museum, the slippers were stolen from the display case in 2005 and missing for over a decade. Then in 2018, the FBI received a tip and recovered the slippers from a man named Terry Jon Martin, an “aging reformed mobster,” who stole the slippers because he believed they were covered in real gems, rather than rhinestones. Martin later pled guilty but was spared jail time due to his bad health and was instead ordered to pay a restitution of $23,500 to the museum.
Other items from ‘The Wizard of Oz’ on auction
If you aren’t exactly ready to pony up over $1 million for a piece of cinematic history but want to own something from the film, there are a few other pieces up for auction.
The infamous hat worn by Margaret Hamilton as the Wicked Witch of the West, for example, has an opening bid of $100,000. Still a steep price but less than the slippers. Other items available are the gloves worn by Bert Lahr as the Cowardly Lion, which have an opening bid of $10,000.
The last option to own a piece of Hollywood history is a painting by Bill Mack of The Wizard of Oz ruby slippers, which was completed on a metal panel of the original Hollywood Sign. This item has an opening bid of $20,000.
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