The Wizard Of Oz ruby slippers worn by Judy Garland are being auctioned off for around $3.5 million… after being stolen in 2005 and recovered 13 years later
Judy Garland’s found ruby slippers from The Wizard Of Oz are being auctioned off after they were previously stolen and subsequently recovered.
The pair, which was worn by the late actress, was reunited with its owner, collector Michael Shaw, and will be shown on an international tour before being auctioned later this year.
This comes shortly after a second man was charged in connection with the theft of the iconic slippers worn by Garland, who died in 1969 at the age of 47 while filming the 1939 cult classic.
The famous ruby slippers, one of four surviving pairs from the 1939 film, had been stolen from the Judy Garland Museum in Grand Rapids, Minnesota in August 2005 when a thief broke into the singer’s childhood home.
Nearly two decades later, the FBI recovered the slippers during a sting operation in Minneapolis in 2018, and federal prosecutors estimate their market value to be around $3.5 million.
Judy Garland’s found ruby slippers from The Wizard of Oz are being auctioned after previously being stolen and now recovered; pictured in September 2018
One of the pairs, worn by the late actress, was reunited with its owner, collector Michael Shaw, in 2018 and will be shown on an international tour before being auctioned off later this year, according to a news release Monday.
The famous ruby slippers, one of four surviving pairs from the 1939 film, had been stolen from the Judy Garland Museum in Grand Rapids, Minnesota in August 2005 when a thief broke into Garland’s childhood home. The FBI recovered the slippers during a sting operation in Minneapolis in 2018, and federal prosecutors estimate their market value to be around $3.5 million.
After being reunited with the shoes, Shaw is now parting ways with them again and is teaming up with Heritage Auctions to take the pair on a multi-city world tour before putting them up for auction in December.
“You cannot overstate the importance of Dorothy’s ruby slippers,” Heritage Auctions vice president Joe Maddalena said in a speech. press release on Monday. ‘They are the most important prop in the history of Hollywood.
“This pair is precious because it comes from Michael Shaw’s legendary collection, and we are honored to have him partner with Heritage.
‘Like TCM [Turner Classic Movies] host Ben Mankiewicz once said, these slippers “symbolize hope,” and we’re thrilled they will travel down the yellow brick road to the auction block to a new home.”
In the iconic film, Garland played the beloved character Dorothy, who returned from Oz to Kansas by clicking the heels of her ruby slippers and repeating the phrase, “There’s no place like home.”
Thirty years after filming the critically acclaimed movie, she tragically died in 1969 at the age of 47 from an accidental barbiturate overdose.
During The Wizard of Oz, Garland wore several pairs, but only four authentic pairs remain.
The three remaining pairs reside at the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, the Smithsonian Museum of American History and with a private collector.
During the iconic 1939 film The Wizard of Oz, Garland wore several pairs while playing the beloved character Dorothy
Two men were recently charged with theft of a large work of art for the stolen and now recovered couple. The three remaining pairs reside at the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, the Smithsonian Museum of American History and with a private collector
In the theft of the soon-to-be-auctioned shoes – which are “of a higher quality than the pair currently at the Smithsonian,” according to a Forbes 2008 report – one man was convicted in January and another recently convicted for his involvement in the crime.
A career criminal named Terry Jon Martin, 76, was charged with theft of a major work of art after pleading guilty in October 2023 and sentenced to no jail time due to his declining health.
The second man, Jerry Hal Saliterman, 76, was charged with theft of a large work of art and witness tampering.
He made his first court appearance on Friday and, like Martin, appeared to be suffering from declining health, appearing in court with an oxygen tank and in a wheelchair, the court said. Associated press.
Two years ago, the iconic blue and white gingham dress Garland wore in the film was also rediscovered at the Catholic University of Washington, DC, after being missing for fifty years.