Judy Garland's Ruby slippers from 'The Wizard of Oz' auctioned for $32.5mn

A pair of legendary ruby red slippers, famously worn by actress Judy Garland in The Wizard of Oz, has been auctioned for an astonishing $28 million (£22 million), establishing them as the most expensive item of movie memorabilia ever sold.

These slippers, one of only four remaining pairs from the 1939 film, were auctioned at a Heritage Auctions event in Dallas on Saturday, significantly exceeding their anticipated price of $3 million (£2.35 million).

The slippers boast a remarkable and storied past. They were originally stolen in 2005 from the Judy Garland Museum in Grand Rapids, Minnesota, and were recovered by the FBI in 2018 following a sting operation.

The theft, carried out by professional thief Terry Jon Martin, was initially thought to be motivated by the value of the gemstones; however, it was later disclosed that the slippers were made of glass rather than rubies.

Martin, who was in his 70s at the time of his sentencing, admitted to the theft and received a sentence of time served. “There’s some closure, and we do know definitely that Terry Jon Martin did break into our museum, but I’d like to know what happened to them after he let them go,” remarked John Kelsch, curator of the Judy Garland Museum.

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The sale of the slippers coincides with a resurgence of interest in The Wizard of Oz, particularly with the release of the prequel Wicked, which has further enhanced the film’s cultural significance. Garland, who was just 16 years old when she portrayed Dorothy, is now celebrated as one of Hollywood’s most iconic figures.

The film itself is hailed as one of the greatest ever made, ranking second in Variety’s “100 Greatest Movies of All Time.”

In the 1939 classic, the red slippers—altered from their original silver hue in the book to highlight Technicolor—serve as a symbol of Dorothy’s journey and her memorable declaration: “There’s no place like home.” The slippers are now considered an invaluable treasure of American cinematic heritage.