Judy Garland's iconic ruby slippers pair from her movie Judy Garland's The Wizard of Oz has been sold for a record $28 million in an auction.
According to CNN, an American actress and singer, Garland's one of the four surviving pairs of slippers that she wore in the most valuable movie memorabilia ever was sold at auction for $28 million on Saturday, December 7, 2024.
As per the news release from Heritage Auctions, it was the pair of slippers that was stolen almost 20 years ago from a museum in Minnesota and was recovered in 2018 during a sting operation in Minneapolis.
Heritage Auctions Executive Vice President Joe Maddalena said in the release, “There is simply no comparison between Judy Garland’s ruby slippers and any other piece of Hollywood memorabilia. The breathtaking result reflects just how important movies and movie memorabilia are to our culture and to collectors.”
The bidding in which 25 bidders participated opened at $1.55 million, and at the pre-auction, the price of the shiny slippers was estimated to be $3 million, but it was sold for almost three times more than the expected price of $32.5 million.
Robert Wilonsky, vice president for public relations at Heritage Auctions, said, “At $32.5 million, the slippers are the most valuable cinema treasures in the world, and they helped make this the most successful entertainment auction ever held.”
Notably, other pairs of slippers were also auctioned earlier, but none of them sold for that much higher price.
