Stolen Ruby Slippers Worn by Judy Garland in Wizard of Oz Going Up for Auction

The saga of the stolen ruby slippers worn by Judy Garland in The Wizard of Oz isn't over quite yet. Just days after a second man was indicted in the 2005 theft of the slippers from the Judy Garland Museum in Grand Rapids, Minnesota, not only were the shoes finally reunited with collector Michael Shaw but it was announced that the shoes will be going up for auction. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Shaw was reunited with the iconic shoes during a private ceremony at the museum on Sunday and it was later announced that they will be sold by Heritage Auctions in December following a world tour.

"You cannot overstate the importance of Dorothy's ruby slippers: They are the most important prop in Hollywood history," Heritage Auctions executive vice president Joe Maddalena said in a statement. "This pair is precious as it hails from the legendary collection of Michael Shaw and we are honored he has partnered with Heritage. As TCM host Ben Mankiewicz once said, these slippers 'symbolize hope', and we're thrilled they will journey down the yellow brick road to the auction block to a new home."

About the Ruby Slipper Theft

The slippers had been loaned to the Judy Garland Museum for a 10-week viewing in 2005 as part of the annual Judy Garland Festival. They had been on display for just a week when they were stolen after someone entered the museum and broke the slipper's display case. They remained missing until 2017 when a man came forward, telling the shoes' insurer — they had been insured for $1 million at the time of their theft — that he could help get them back. In 2018, the FBI announced that the shoes had been recovered in a sting operation.

Last year, Terry Martin was charged with one count of theft of a major artwork for the crime and pled guilty, admitting to using a hammer to smash the museum's door and display case to pull off "one last score". Court documents from his sentencing in January reveal that Martin carried out the heist because an old associate of Martin's with mob connections had told him that the shoes had to be made with real rubies because of their insured value, prompting Martin to want to take the shoes for the gems. However, upon learning that the rubies were not real, Martin got rid of the shoes. Martin was ultimately sentenced to time served due to his poor health. A second man was charged on Friday, though it is unclear what their role in the theft is.

The Stolen Slippers Have a Fascinating Story

Even outside of their saga of having been stolen and recovered, the recovered slippers have a story worthy of Hollywood all their own. The slippers are one of four surviving sets of shoes that were used in the film and as it turns out, they are a mismatched pair. When the Smithsonian — who has one of the other sets in their collection — compared the recovered shoes to their pair, they discovered that the four shoes actually create two matching sets. It's unclear if the shoes have since been matched with their correct twins. As for the other two pair of shoes, one pair is in the hands of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences while the other belongs to a private collector.

What do you think about this latest development in the ruby slippers saga? Let us know your thoughts in the comment section.