Ruby Slippers from The Wizard of Oz Up for Auction After Theft
A stunning pair of ruby slippers, famously worn by Judy Garland in the beloved classic The Wizard of Oz, is set to hit the auction block nearly two decades after being stolen in a high-profile heist. The iconic shoes, which are believed to be adorned with sequins and beads rather than real jewels, are drawing significant interest as online bidding kicked off and will continue until December 7, according to a press release from Heritage Auctions in Dallas.
The auction house received these cherished slippers from Michael Shaw, a dedicated memorabilia collector who originally owned this key piece of cinematic history. Shaw had loaned the slippers to the Judy Garland Museum located in Grand Rapids, Minnesota, in 2005. Tragically, that summer, a thief broke into the museum, shattering a display case to steal the shoes. For years, their location remained unknown until the FBI successfully recovered them in 2018.
Now, the museum is once again in the running to reclaim these magical slippers, which are one of several pairs worn by Garland during the filming of the iconic 1939 film. Remarkably, only four pairs of these legendary slippers are known to still exist today.
The community in Grand Rapids is actively raising funds to purchase the slippers as part of their annual Judy Garland festival, and the funds raised will complement the $100,000 allocated this year by Minnesota lawmakers specifically for this purpose.
In a twist of fate, the man responsible for the theft, Terry Jon Martin, was sentenced to time served in January due to his declining health at the age of 76. He confessed to using a hammer to break through the glass of the museum’s door and the display case, motivated by an old associate with ties to organized crime who misled him into believing that the shoes were encrusted with real jewels, thus justifying their $1 million insured value.
The upcoming auction is not limited to just the ruby slippers; it also features a variety of other intriguing items from The Wizard of Oz, including:
- A hat worn by Margaret Hamilton’s Wicked Witch of the West
- The original screen door from Dorothy’s Kansas home
As the auction date approaches, excitement is building among collectors and fans alike, eager to see where these treasured pieces of film history will land next.
