A pair of iconic ruby slippers worn by Judy Garland in The Wizard of Oz, which were stolen nearly 20 years ago, were sold for $28 million at auction on Saturday. Heritage Auctions had estimated they would fetch around $3 million, but bidding quickly surpassed that figure, tripling it in minutes. Several bidders participated in a fast-paced phone auction, pushing the price up over a span of 15 minutes, ultimately reaching the impressive final amount. With the auction house’s fees included, the buyer will pay a total of $32.5 million.
Online bidding for the slippers had started at $1.55 million before the live auction began. The slippers were displayed at the Judy Garland Museum in Grand Rapids, Minnesota, in 2005 when they were stolen by Terry Jon Martin, who used a hammer to break the museum’s door and display case.
The ruby slippers’ location remained unknown until the FBI recovered them in 2018. Terry Jon Martin, now 77 and living near Grand Rapids, Minnesota, wasn’t identified as the thief until his indictment in May 2023. He pleaded guilty in October 2023. Martin, who was in a wheelchair and required supplemental oxygen due to his health, was sentenced in January 2024 to time served.
Martin’s attorney, Dane DeKrey, explained that Martin, who had a long criminal history, was trying for “one last score.” According to DeKrey, an associate with mob connections had told Martin that the slippers needed to be embellished with real jewels to justify their $1 million insured value. However, after a fence (someone who buys stolen goods) informed him the rubies were just glass, Martin decided to dispose of the slippers, although DeKrey did not disclose how he did so.
The alleged fence, 77-year-old Jerry Hal Saliterman from Crystal, a suburb of Minneapolis, was indicted in March. Like Martin, Saliterman appeared in court in a wheelchair and on oxygen. He is scheduled to stand trial in January and has pleaded not guilty, according to his attorney.
The ruby slippers were returned to memorabilia collector Michael Shaw in February, who had originally loaned them to the museum. These slippers were one of several pairs worn by Judy Garland during the filming of The Wizard of Oz, but only four pairs are known to have survived. In the movie, Dorothy clicks her heels three times and says, “There’s no place like home,” to return from Oz to Kansas.
As Rhys Thomas, author of The Ruby Slippers of Oz, remarked, the sequined shoes have had “more twists and turns than the Yellow Brick Road.” Over 800 people were tracking the slippers, and by Thursday, the auction’s webpage had nearly 43,000 views, according to Robert Wilonsky, a vice president at Heritage Auctions.
Among those bidding for the slippers was the Judy Garland Museum. However, the museum later announced on Facebook that it did not win the auction. The museum had raised funds through donations and support from the city of Grand Rapids during its annual Judy Garland festival, as well as $100,000 allocated by Minnesota lawmakers to help the museum secure the slippers.
After the ruby slippers were sold, the auctioneer informed both in-person and online bidders that the previous record for entertainment memorabilia was $5.52 million, set by the famous white dress worn by Marilyn Monroe over a windy subway grate.
The auction also featured other items from The Wizard of Oz, including a hat worn by Margaret Hamilton, the original Wicked Witch of the West. This item sold for $2.4 million, with the buyer’s total cost reaching $2.93 million.
The story of The Wizard of Oz has recently gained renewed interest following the release of Wicked, a film adaptation of the popular Broadway musical that serves as a prequel, reimagining the Wicked Witch of the West’s character.