The iconic ruby slippers worn by Judy Garland in The Wizard of Oz were sold at auction on December 7, 2024, for a record-breaking $28 million. This makes the slippers the most expensive piece of movie memorabilia ever sold, adding another chapter to their complex history.
The Wizard of Oz first appeared in theaters in 1939. In the film, a young girl named Dorothy finds herself lost in a magical land and sets out on an adventurous journey. During her quest, she receives a pair of enchanted red “ruby slippers.” In the movie’s conclusion, Dorothy discovers that she can return home by clicking the heels of her slippers three times while saying, “There’s no place like home.”
The movie and its iconic ruby slippers are renowned worldwide. Based on Frank L. Baum’s book The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, the original story featured silver slippers. However, filmmakers changed the slippers’ color to red to make them more eye-catching on screen.
In the process of making the movie, Garland used many pairs of ruby slippers for different parts of the film. Some were used for close-ups, while others were used for dancing. After the movie was made, the shoes were stashed away and unacknowledged, until someone in the 1970s found and sold the slippers.
A man named Micheal Shaw bought a pair of slippers for $2,000. He made money with them by renting them out. In 2005, he lent the pair of shoes to the Judy Garland Museum in Grand Rapids, Minnesota, but someone later broke into the museum, shattered the glass display case, and took the slippers.
The slippers were missing for 13 years, until the FBI recovered them in 2018. It took an additional five years to apprehend the thief, who was in his 70s by then.
Interestingly, the thief had never seen the movie and reportedly believed the slippers contained real rubies. Upon discovering they didn’t, he disposed of them.
Shaw finally gained possession of the slippers again in February of 2024, sparking excitement among collectors when he announced that he would sell them. Heritage Auctions, the company handling the sale, initially estimated the slippers would receive around $3 million.
In under a minute, the bidding soared past $3 million. Over the next 15 minutes, the price continued to climb higher as bidders competed intensely . Ultimately, the ruby slippers sold for an astonishing $28 million.
The buyer’s identity remains unknown to the public, but they will pay even more than the final bid. Including taxes and auction fees, the total cost reached $32.5 million.
This sale set a new record for the most expensive piece of movie memorabilia ever sold. The previous record, set in 2011, was $5.52 million for Marilyn Monroe’s white dress from The Seven Year Itch.