PREVIEW

A pair of ruby slippers famously worn by Judy Garland in the 1939 classic The Wizard of Oz sold at auction for a record-breaking $32.5 million (£25.5 million) on Saturday (7 December2024).

The hammer price at Heritage Auctions in Dallas was $28 million, but the buyer's premium pushed the price up to the final mammoth figure.

Initially estimated at a modest £2.3 million - £3.8 million ($2.9 million-$4.8 million), bidding quickly escalated, with over 800 potential buyers tracking the piece of film history.

The slippers, one of only four surviving pairs made for the film, are described by Heritage Auctions as vintage Innes Shoe Co. red silk faille heels, adorned with hand-sequined silk georgette. The bows feature bugle beads and rhinestones encircling three centre jewels. Experts have hailed this pair as the best-preserved example.

One of four surviving pairs worn by Judy Garland in 1939’s The Wizard of Oz, the slippers that sold Saturday are now the most famous — and, by far, the most valuable movie memorabilia ever sold at auction.

Heritage Auctions Executive Vice President Joe Maddalena said: “There is simply no comparison between Judy Garland’s Ruby Slippers and any other piece of Hollywood memorabilia.

“The breathtaking result reflects just how important movies and movie memorabilia are to our culture and to collectors. It’s been a privilege for all of us at Heritage to be a part of the slippers’ epic journey over the rainbow and off to a new home.”

An odder episode in the shoes’ history came in in 2005 when they were stolen from the Judy Garland Museum in Minnesota by former mobster Terry Martin, who wrongly assumed the slippers’ value stemmed from being crafted with real rubies. Martin was later indicted for the theft in October 2023, but the slippers were recovered by the FBI in 2018 and reunited with their owner.