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A pair of «Ruby Slippers» worn by Judy Garland in the film «Wizard of Oz» is being auctioned off this Saturday.
Heritage Auctions says these slippers are the «Holy Grail of Hollywood memorabilia.» The auction began last month online and bidding has already sent the price to $1.55 million. The winning bid is expected to be over $3 million.
Several pairs of the «Ruby Slippers» were worn by Garland during the filming of the movie, but only four pairs are known to have survived. One pair is on display at the Smithsonian, while two more are in the possession of private collectors.
This particular pair of «Ruby Slippers» has its own strange history.
Collector Michael Shaw had loaned the slippers out to the Judy Garland Museum in her hometown of Grand Rapids, Minnesota, when they were stolen in 2005.
Professional thief Terry Jon Martin used a hammer to smash the glass case and snatch the slippers, believing that their insured value of $1m must be because they were covered in actual gemstones.
But when he took them to a «fence» — and intermediary who sells stolen goods to discreet buyers — he discovered they were just glass.
So he gave the shoes to someone else. It wasn’t until 2018 that the FBI recovered the shoes in a sting operation.
