Judy Garland’s iconic ruby slippers from The Wizard of Oz have sold at auction for a staggering $28 million, with taxes and fees pushing the total cost to $32.5 million, making them the most expensive movie item ever sold, according to CNN (Spanish). The auction, held on Saturday at Heritage Auctions in Dallas, Texas, saw the slippers far surpass their expected value of $3 million within moments, as reported by The Hollywood Reporter.
“There is simply no comparison between Judy Garland’s Ruby Slippers and any other piece of Hollywood memorabilia,” Joe Maddalena, Executive Vice President at Heritage Auctions, said, according to Deadline. “The breathtaking result reflects just how important movies and movie memorabilia are to our culture and to collectors,” he added.
The Auction
The auction opened with a bid of $1.55 million and quickly escalated as over 25 bidders participated, eventually reaching the record price of $32.5 million. Over 800 potential buyers were tracking the item, with some bidders raising offers by $800,000 or more, as noted by France 24. In the final moments, only two bidders remained, and the slippers were sold to an anonymous buyer bidding by phone. The buyer was not publicly identified, but auction records indicate they were sold to a phone bidder, reported The New York Times.
The Other Ruby Slippers
The ruby slippers are one of only four surviving pairs made for the 1939 film, making them incredibly rare. Another pair is on display at the Smithsonian Institution, donated in 1979 after being sold during an MGM auction in 1970, as stated by The Hollywood Reporter. A third pair is at the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures, donated by benefactors including Leonardo DiCaprio and Steven Spielberg, reported BBC News. A fourth pair is believed to be owned by a private collector.
The slippers sold at the auction have a storied history. They were stolen from the Judy Garland Museum in Grand Rapids, Minnesota, in 2005. Terry Jon Martin used a hammer to smash the glass of the museum’s door and display case to steal the slippers, believing they were adorned with real gemstones. After more than a decade of investigation, the FBI recovered the slippers in 2018 during an undercover operation in Minneapolis, reported The Hollywood Reporter.
In October 2023, Martin pleaded guilty to the theft, as reported by CNN (Spanish). He confessed that he stole the slippers believing they were made with real rubies and sought to execute a “last score” inspired by an acquaintance, according to The New York Times. “Since I found out the stones on the slippers were fake, I didn’t want anything to do with them,” Martin said, reported BBC News.
The significance of the ruby slippers extends beyond their role in the film. “They transcended Hollywood, to the point of representing the powerful image of innocence for all of America,” Rhys Thomas, author of The Ruby Slippers of Oz, stated, according to CNN (Spanish). The ruby slippers, described as “the Holy Grail of Hollywood souvenirs,” were displayed in the Judy Garland Museum before they mysteriously disappeared.
Other Memorabilia
Other memorabilia from The Wizard of Oz were also sold at the auction, including the Wicked Witch’s black hat worn by Margaret Hamilton, which fetched nearly $3 million, according to Deadline. The hat is the only one to feature inside its brim, “M. Hamilton 4461-164,” referring to Margaret Hamilton, the actress who played the Wicked Witch.
The auction attracted more than 1,800 bidders from around the world, including the Judy Garland Museum, which bid on the slippers but had to withdraw when the amount exceeded their budget, reported Ynet (Hebrew). The museum had campaigned for donations to supplement money raised by the city of Grand Rapids and funds set aside by Minnesota lawmakers to help purchase the slippers, according to the New York Post.
The sale has revived interest in the original objects from the film, especially with the arrival of the musical Wicked, which has boosted the popularity of The Wizard of Oz. The film, based on Frank Baum’s 1900 children’s novel The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, has marked generations of Americans and cinephiles around the world. The ruby slippers have become an eternal symbol of hope, magic, and nostalgia, evoking memories of entire generations. Beyond their scarlet shine and connection with Dorothy, they represent hope and the power of believing in magic, an idea that resonates deeply even today.
The previous record for entertainment memorabilia was set in 2011 when the white halter dress worn by Marilyn Monroe in The Seven Year Itch sold for $5.52 million, according to Rolling Stone. The sale of the ruby slippers at $28 million, totaling $32.5 million with taxes and fees, has set a new benchmark. “With $32.5 million, these slippers are the most valuable movie objects in the world,” Robert Wilonsky, Vice President of Public Relations at Heritage Auctions, stated, according to BFMTV.
As the auction concluded, attendees acknowledged the significance of the sale. The ruby slippers, once lost and now the most expensive piece of movie memorabilia, continue to captivate the imagination of collectors and fans alike.
