Film Costume Property
Ruby slippers from The Wizard of Oz (1939)
The single most expensive piece of movie-prop memorabilia ever sold. The provenance — including the theft and recovery — turned the sale into a media event. Multiple pairs exist, each with unique provenance.
- Sale price
- $32.5M
- USD · hammer + buyer's premium
- Sale date
- December 7, 2024
- Venue
- Heritage Auctions
- Authentication
- FBI-recovered, documented chain-of-custody from the Judy Garland Museum theft (2005) through 2018 recovery.
Provenance
Originally worn on screen by Judy Garland; multiple pairs exist (4–5 known); this pair was stolen 2005 and recovered 2018.
Condition
Original sequins, original silk, restoration consistent with FBI-recovered condition.
Editorial note
The single most expensive piece of movie-prop memorabilia ever sold. The provenance — including the theft and recovery — turned the sale into a media event. Multiple pairs exist, each with unique provenance.
Sources cited
Heritage Auctions Entertainment December 2024
auction house
AP: 'Recovered Ruby Slippers sell for $32.5M'
trade press
Reported figures reflect publicly-cited hammer + buyer's premium as of source date. May differ slightly from auction-house internal records. Educational reference, not appraisal.
Comparable comps
Similar items in the Field Index.
Curated by the editors as relevant comparable sales — same category, same era, or same authentication tier. Useful for triangulating value when no single comp answers the question.
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