Ruby Red Slippers Worn by Judy Garland to Be Auctioned for Millions
A pair of iconic ruby red slippers worn by Judy Garland in the 1939 classic film The Wizard of Oz is set to go under the hammer, with bids expected to reach as much as $3 million (£2.35m). These sequinned pumps, famously worn by Garland as Dorothy, are considered one of the most treasured pieces of Hollywood memorabilia.
The slippers have a storied history, including being stolen from the Judy Garland Museum in Grand Rapids, Minnesota, in 2005. Now, nearly two decades later, they are up for auction through Heritage Auctions, which has described them as the "Holy Grail of Hollywood memorabilia."
Online bidding for the shoes began a month ago, and by Saturday noon, the highest bid stood at $1.55 million.
Garland was just 16 years old when she portrayed Dorothy in The Wizard of Oz, a film based on L. Frank Baum’s 1900 children’s book The Wonderful Wizard of Oz. While the book described the magical slippers as silver, the filmmakers famously changed them to red to showcase the vibrant Technicolor technology of the era.
In the film, the ruby slippers play a pivotal role in Dorothy’s journey, as she clicks her heels three times and repeats the iconic line, “There’s no place like home,” to return to Kansas.
Though several pairs of slippers were used during filming, only four are known to have survived. One pair resides in the Smithsonian's National Museum of American History, while the pair now up for auction has its own dramatic history.
These shoes were loaned by collector Michael Shaw to the Judy Garland Museum before being stolen in 2005.
Thief Terry Jon Martin shattered the display case to steal the slippers, mistakenly believing their insured value of $1 million was due to actual gemstones. After discovering the slippers’ sequins were glass, Martin passed them to another individual.
The shoes vanished for 13 years until an FBI sting operation recovered them in 2018. Details of their whereabouts during that time remain a mystery. In 2023, Martin pleaded guilty to the theft but received a sentence of time served.
Reflecting on the theft, John Kelsch, curator of the Judy Garland Museum, remarked: “The value isn’t in rubies. The value is in their status as an American treasure. To steal them without realizing that seems ludicrous.”
The auction marks a rare chance for collectors to own a piece of cinematic history.
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