Stolen Judy Garland slippers from ‘The Wizard of Oz’ break auction records, sell for $28m

A pair of iconic ruby red slippers worn by actress Judy Garland in The Wizard of Oz have sold for a staggering $28 million (£22 million) at auction, making them the most expensive piece of movie memorabilia ever sold.

The slippers, one of only four surviving pairs from the 1939 classic, were sold at a Heritage Auctions event in Dallas on Saturday, far surpassing their expected price of $3 million (£2.35 million).

The slippers, which were part of a highly anticipated auction, had a unique and eventful history. Originally stolen in 2005 from the Judy Garland Museum in Grand Rapids, Minnesota, they were recovered by the FBI in 2018 after a sting operation.

The theft, perpetrated by professional thief Terry Jon Martin, was initially believed to be for their valuable gemstones, but it was later revealed that the slippers were merely glass, not rubies.

Martin, who was in his 70s at the time of his conviction, pleaded guilty to stealing the slippers and was sentenced to time served. "There's some closure, and we do know definitely that Terry Jon Martin did break into our museum, but I'd like to know what happened to them after he let them go," said John Kelsch, curator of the Judy Garland Museum.

The sale of the slippers comes amid renewed interest in The Wizard of Oz, with the release of the prequel Wicked further increasing the film’s cultural relevance. Garland, just 16 years old when she played Dorothy, is now widely regarded as one of Hollywood’s most enduring stars.

The film itself is considered one of the greatest movies ever made, ranking second in Variety's list of "100 Greatest Movies of All Time."

In the 1939 film, the red slippers—changed from their original silver colour in the book to showcase Technicolor—become a symbol of Dorothy’s journey and her iconic words: "There's no place like home." The slippers are now regarded as an invaluable part of American cinematic history.