A pair of ruby slippers worn by Judy Garland in “The Wizard of Oz” sold at an auction for $32.5 million, breaking the record for the most valuable movie memorabilia ever sold at auction. The slippers, one of four surviving pairs from the 1939 movie, were stolen from a museum in 2005 and recovered by the FBI in a sting operation in 2018. The shoes were returned to their original owner, who loaned them to the museum for auction. The high selling price is attributed to the slippers’ star power and history. The auction also included other memorabilia from the movie, such as the hat worn by the Wicked Witch, which sold for $2.9 million. The thief who stole the shoes confessed to the crime and was sentenced to time served due to poor health. The museum made efforts to acquire the slippers for display in Judy Garland’s birthplace, but ultimately did not win the auction despite fundraising efforts from the City of Grand Rapids and Minnesota lawmakers.
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Judy Garland’s Ruby Slippers from ‘Wizard of Oz’ Fetch $32.5 Million at Auction
