The Wizard of Oz fans now have a chance to own the ruby slippers worn by Judy Garland, as they will be going up for auction.
This comes after the famed shoes donned by the late actress were stolen after being placed in a museum dedicated to the star.
After being stolen in 2005, they were eventually returned to their owner, collector Michael Shaw in 2018 after an FBI sting operation in Minneapolis.
According to the museum, Michael “likened the experience to a heartfelt reunion with a long-lost friend.”
Although two men have since been charged with its theft, the shoes will soon take a journey to a different owner.
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After federal prosecutors estimated the slippers’ market value to be around $3.5 million, they will be shown around the world before being auctioned off this year.
The collector will be collaborating with Heritage Auctions to take the pair on a multi-city international tour before putting them up for auction in December.
In a press release, Heritage Auctions executive vice president Joe Maddalena stated: “You cannot overstate the importance of Dorothy’s ruby slippers, they are the most important prop in Hollywood history.
“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 [Turner Classic Movies] 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,” he concluded.
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This pair is reportedly one of four surviving ruby slippers to be worn in the iconic movie by then-17-year-old Garland.
An MGM customer discovered a few pairs of shoes on the studio lot in 1970 and auctioned one pair that year, which was eventually donated to the Smithsonian.
The collector kept at least two pairs for himself, though Shaw later bought one of them.
Another of the original pairs is on display at the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences’ museum, donated by a group of benefactors including Leonardo DiCaprio.
In 1939, a lucky Tennessee teenager won slippers worn on-screen in a contest, which she kept until the late 1980s when she sold them to a fellow movie fan.
