In brief
At an auction in Dallas, the legendary ruby slippers from "The Wizard of Oz" have broken records by selling for $28 million. The highly guarded footwear, once stolen and recovered, symbolizes not only cinematic history but also America's cultural heritage.
A stunning pair of ruby red slippers worn by actress Judy Garland in the timeless classic "The Wizard of Oz" has garnered unimaginable attention by selling for a whopping $28 million at a recent auction in Dallas, Texas. The slippers are one of only four surviving pairs used in the iconic 1939 film and were previously stolen from a Minnesota museum, adding to their storied past.Originally estimated by Heritage Auctions to sell for around $3 million, this recent auction event saw online bidding begin a month prior and culminate in an astonishing total, making the slippers the most valuable piece of movie memorabilia ever sold at auction. Auctioneers hailed the shoes as the "Holy Grail of Hollywood memorabilia," prompting a round of applause in the auction room.The sale coincides with a resurgence in interest in "The Wizard of Oz" following the recent release of the musical prequel, "Wicked." At just 16 years of age, Garland played the unforgettable role of Dorothy, and the film remains celebrated, ranking second in Variety's inaugural list of "100 Greatest Movies of All Time." The transformative moment in the film, where Dorothy clicks her heels together while reciting "There's no place like home," is further enriched by the magical depiction of the sequined slippers.In the original source material by L. Frank Baum, the slippers were silver, but film producers opted for radiant red to fully utilize the innovative Technicolor technology of the time. Of the slippers worn by Garland, only four are confirmed to have survived, with one pair displayed at the Smithsonian.The pair recently auctioned has its unique narrative. Stolen in 2005 by professional thief Terry Jon Martin, who mistakenly believed they held an insurance value of $1 million due to actual gemstones, the slippers were subjected to a bizarre saga of misfortune. Martin vandalized the Judy Garland Museum to take the slippers, only to discover they contained no gems. His attempt to resell them ended in the shoes being lost for 13 years, only to be recovered by the FBI in 2018 during a sting operation.In 2023, Martin, now in his 70s and reliant on a wheelchair, pleaded guilty to the theft and received a sentence of time served. John Kelsch, curator of the Judy Garland Museum, expressed a desire for closure regarding the shoes' 13-year disappearance, emphasizing that their true worth lies in their cultural significance rather than a monetary appraisal. In his words, "The value is an American treasure, a national treasure."
