Strap in for a zany story in which an aging mobster absconds with the jewel in the crown of Hollywood costume memorabilia, all while shafting a small midwestern museum in the process. Let me try to break it down: wardrobe departments typically make multiple versions of a single costume for efficient filming purposes. For The Wizard of Oz, we know of at least four pairs of the iconic ruby slippers, because they were unearthed in the 70s by a curator combing through mountains of MGM storage. One of the pairs made their way to the Judy Garland Museum in Minnesota until they were stolen in 2005 by a guy seeking to pull one last con (he also thought there were some genuine rubies in the shoes). The slippers were found in 2018, as announced in the fabulous DOJ press release, “FBI Recovers Stolen Ruby Slippers from The Wizard of Oz.” Which brings us to today, with the well-traveled footwear going up for auction, waiting to find their new place like home.
Per Heritage Auctions, the glamorous heels are currently bidding at $812,500, with the next minimum bid set at $825,000. There are currently 31 days left of bidding, with the auction continuing through Dec. 7.
The slippers being put up for auction comes nearly two decades after they were stolen from Minnesota’s Judy Garland Museum in 2005.
The sequin-adorned footwear, which were worn by Garland’s character Dorothy Gale in the 1939 movie, were bought by Michael Shaw in 1970 before they were stolen by Terry Jon Martin while on loan at the museum.
They were found in 2018, with the FBI sharing in a press release that they discovered the shoes in Minneapolis while investigating a scheme to defraud and extort the Markel Corporation, which owns the item.
Shaw’s slippers are the “cross-matched sister shoes to the pair at The Smithsonian Institution,” according to Heritage Auctions.
“The Ruby Slippers are a vintage pair of Innes Shoe Co. red silk faille heels with uppers and heels covered with hand-sequined silk georgette, lined in white leather, and the leather soles are painted red with orange felt adhered to the front foundation of each shoe,” the description of the slippers reads.
“The bows are made of hand-cut buckram cloth and are slightly different in size,” the description continues. “Rhinestones rim the bows, which are filled with bugle beads surrounding three center jewels.”
According to the Associated Press, Martin, whom the AP identified as an “aging reformed mobster,” stole the slippers after he was encouraged by an unidentifiable former mob associate to commit “one last score.” The associate also reportedly told him the shoes were adorned with real jewels.
Martin smashed a museum door and display case during the 2005 theft of the slippers, which are one of four known authentic pairs of shoes worn by Garland, who died in 1969.
In May 2023, Martin was indicted by the U.S. District Court in Minnesota and charged with theft of major artwork. He pleaded guilty to the charge in October 2023, per a U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of North Dakota press release issued at the time.
When Martin pleaded guilty, he said he wanted to sell rubies from the slippers.
Martin received one year of probation and an order to pay around $23,000 to Minnesota’s Judy Garland Museum.
And all of that is still the brief version of the saga of the slippers! Heritage Auctions includes the full intricate story on their website. The curator who found the four slippers took them home, then gave one pair to a film studio auction. That pair made news in 1970 for selling for $15K, which confused a lady in Tennessee who had won a pair of ruby slippers (that she thought were the one and only pair) in an MGM contest. The pair that sold for $15K were later donated to The Smithsonian, where a “ruby slipper forensic expert” (WHY did no one tell me as a kid that was a legit adult profession?!?!) determined that the right shoe in the Smithsonian’s pair actually matched the left shoe in the Judy Garland Museum’s pair (the set stolen by the mobster), hence the “cross-matched” status, because they haven’t rematched the shoes with their true mates.
But just when I thought I was coming to the end of the yellow brick road, there was one more twist: the Judy Garland Museum wants the slippers back, so they are raising the funds to bid at Heritage’s auction. $100K in seed money was granted to them in May upon the passing of the Minnesota Legacy Finance Bill… signed by MN Governor Tim Walz. We came so close to a frivolous, election-free post, sigh.
photos credit: Heritage Auctions/Cover Images, Getty
You Kim Kardashian is going to try to buy them. And ruin them.
And prolly yammer on Twitter how she returned them to the museum.
Such a giver .. KK
Lol, the shoes are size 5 and Kim is not, but I suppose that wouldn’t stop her.
Judy. What talent. Such a sad, tragic, short life.
Nice overview of the ruby slippers, Kismet! If anyone wants a fun read, THE RUBY SLIPPERS OF OZ by Rhys Thomas is your book.
The slippers for Judy Garland came in slightly different sizes because feet swell from dancing all day. There were other pairs for stand-ins and closeups. The ones for dancing have felt on the bottoms to muffle the noise (the Yellow Brick Road was plywood).
There’s no place like home, there’s no place like home, there’s no place like home!