A new record has been set for the price of movie memorabilia. At an auction this weekend, a pair of ruby slippers that was worn by Judy Garland during the making of The Wizard of Oz sold for $28 million. Adding in the buyer’s premium, the total cost was $32.5 million.
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The pair of slippers is arguably the most famous prop in the history of movies. If it’s not number one, it has to be in the top five, along with other items like Citizen Kane’s sled and Indiana Jones’ whip. (When one of Kane’s sleds went up for auction in 1996, it sold for $233,500 — the equivalent of $477,000 today.)
Garland wore multiple pairs of the shoes during filming; historians know of at least four sets of ruby slippers (including the one sold this weekend) that survive to this day. One is in private hands; the other two are displayed at the National Museum of American History in Washington D.C. and the Academy Museum in Los Angeles.
The buyer of this fourth pair of slippers is currently anonymous.
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This particular pair that was sold was originally housed at the Judy Garland Museum — and then were stolen in 2005. They were recovered in 2018 and after the Smithsonian confirmed their authenticity, they finally went up for auction over the weekend.
$32.5 million later, someone has much more sparkly feet than they did before.
The same auction also included one of the original Wicked Witch of the West hats from The Wizard of Oz film, worn by actress Margaret Hamilton. That one sold for a little under $3 million. A relative bargain!
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