Dorothy's ruby slippers fetch record $32.5 mln

DALLAS

Ruby slippers worn by actor Judy Garland in "The Wizard of Oz" went under the hammer on Dec. 7, and the winning price was over the rainbow, a record $32.5 million, the auction house said.

The shimmery shoes, among the most famous pairs of footwear ever, soared past the pre-auction estimate of $3 million within moments and by the time the bidding war was complete they had become the most valuable movie memorabilia ever sold at auction, according to Heritage Auctions which oversaw the dramatic sale in Dallas, Texas.

The final bid was $28 million, with taxes and fees pushing the cost to $32.5 million, Heritage Auctions said.

The entire haul for the Hollywood/Entertainment Signature Auction, which also featured the sale of the Wicked Witch's black hat for $2.9 million, set a new record of $38.6 million for an entertainment auction.

But it was the sequin-covered pumps, one of four surviving ruby pairs worn in the 1939 cult classic, that stole the show in Texas, as expected.

The shoes that sold on Saturday have a storied history. They were not just the ones on Dorothy when she began her adventure in Oz, or when she clicked her heels to go home to Kansas: They were stolen nearly 20 years ago.

The shoes, created by MGM Studios chief costume designer at the time, Gilbert Adrian, had belonged to a collector since 1970. They were kept in the Judy Garland Museum in her hometown of Grand Rapids, Minnesota, until they mysteriously disappeared in 2005.

Despite a six-figure reward and the involvement of the FBI, it was not until 2018 that they were finally tracked down.

The perpetrator of the theft, Terry Martin, admitted taking them and said he did so because he believed they were encrusted with real rubies.