Stolen ‘Oz’ Ruby Slippers Resurface for Auction After Two-Decade Mystery

A pair of ruby slippers worn by Judy Garland in “The Wizard of Oz” is up for auction nearly two decades after being stolen by a thief who believed they were embedded with real jewels.

Online bidding has commenced and will run through December 7, according to Heritage Auctions in Dallas, as announced on Monday.

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The auction house received the sequin-and-bead-adorned slippers from Michael Shaw, the memorabilia collector originally in possession of the iconic footwear central to the beloved 1939 musical. Shaw had lent the shoes to the Judy Garland Museum in Grand Rapids, Minnesota, back in 2005.

That summer, someone broke into a display case and stole the slippers, leaving their whereabouts a mystery until the FBI recovered them in 2018.

Now, the museum is among those competing to reclaim the slippers, which were one of several pairs Garland wore during filming. Only four pairs remain in existence.

Grand Rapids has been raising funds for the slippers at its annual Judy Garland festival. These efforts will add to the $100,000 already allocated by Minnesota lawmakers this year to purchase the iconic shoes.

The man who perpetrated the theft, Terry Jon Martin, was 76 when he received a sentence of time served in January, due to his poor health. Martin confessed to using a hammer to smash the museum’s door and display case glass. His attorney explained that Martin was seeking “one last score” following an old associate with mob ties, who convinced him the shoes must be adorned with real jewels to warrant their $1 million insured value.

The auction also features other “The Wizard of Oz” memorabilia, including a hat worn by Margaret Hamilton’s Wicked Witch of the West and the screen door from Dorothy’s Kansas home.