close
The ruby slippers worn by US actress and singer Judy Garland in the 1939 film The Wizard of Oz are pictured on display in London on November 27, 2024.--AFP
The ruby slippers worn by US actress and singer Judy Garland in the 1939 film The Wizard of Oz are pictured on display in London on November 27, 2024.--AFP

Ruby slippers from ‘The Wizard of Oz’ up for auction

Ruby slippers worn by actress Judy Garland in classic film “The Wizard of Oz” will be sold at auction next month, nearly 20 years after they were stolen. Heritage Auctions showed off the magical footwear in London before they go under the hammer in Dallas on December 7, with predictions they could sell for up to $3 million. “They are legendary like no other,” Nikki Hale, manager of special projects at Heritage, told AFP of the distinctive sequin covered court shoes, which are topped with bows.

“’The Wizard of Oz’ really stands the test of time as a cult classic, iconic film that anywhere across the world, people know what ‘The Wizard of Oz’ is.” “You see them when she’s clicking the heels to go home. You see them when she starts her adventure, when she goes down Munchkinland,” Hale added. “They are absolutely the Holy Grail as far as movie memorabilia.”

Only four pairs made for the 1939 film still survive and those on sale have belonged to a collector since 1970. They were kept in the Judy Garland Museum in her home town 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. “They were recovered, apparently buried in a Tupperware (box), underground,” said Hale.

The perpetrator of the theft, Terry Martin, admitted taking them and said he did so because he believed they were encrusted with real rubies. Now 76, he was given a suspended prison sentence in January this year. Other memorabilia from “The Wizard of Oz” will also be on sale, including Garland’s wigs, film posters and photographs, as well as other items such as a wooden game board from “Jumanji” with Robin Williams. — AFP

During the brutal Iraqi invasion of Kuwait in 1990, many voices in the United States, both within the public and the media, urged President George H W Bush not to engage in the war to liberate Kuwait. Hundreds of Americans even demonstrated in front...
By Dr Nermin Al-Houti Every nation in the world has its own civilization, and one of the most important features of these civilizations is art, which serves as the most prominent and sensitive reflection of life. Art is a reflection and expression o...
MORE STORIES