Free Republic
Browse · Search
General/Chat
Topics · Post Article

Skip to comments.

Stolen ruby slippers worn by Judy Garland in 'The Wizard of Oz' are auctioned for $28 million
Channel 3000 News/AP ^ | December 8, 2024 | AP Staff

Posted on 12/08/2024 7:04:48 AM PST by Diana in Wisconsin

A pair of iconic ruby slippers that were worn by Judy Garland in “The Wizard of Oz” and stolen from a museum nearly two decades ago sold for a winning bid of $28 million at auction Saturday.

Heritage Auctions had estimated that they would fetch $3 million or more, but the fast-paced bidding far outpaced that amount within seconds and tripled it within minutes. A few bidders making offers by phone volleyed back and forth for 15 minutes as the price climbed to the final, eye-popping sum.

Including the Dallas-based auction house's fee, the unknown buyer will ultimately pay $32.5 million.

Online bidding, which opened last month, had stood at $1.55 million before live bidding began late Saturday afternoon.

This slippers were on display at the Judy Garland Museum in her hometown of Grand Rapids, Minnesota, in 2005 when Terry Jon Martin used a hammer to smash the glass of the museum’s door and display case.

Their whereabouts remained a mystery until the FBI recovered them in 2018. Martin, now 77, who lives near Grand Rapids in northern Minnesota, wasn't publicly exposed as the thief until he was indicted in May 2023. He pleaded guilty in October 2023. He was in a wheelchair and on supplementary oxygen when he was sentenced last January to time served because of his poor health.

His attorney, Dane DeKrey, explained ahead of sentencing that Martin, who had a long history of burglary and receiving stolen property, was attempting to pull off “one last score” after an old associate with connections to the mob told him the shoes had to be adorned with real jewels to justify their $1 million insured value.

(Excerpt) Read more at channel3000.com ...


TOPICS: Books/Literature; Conspiracy; Music/Entertainment
KEYWORDS: auction; minnesota; rubyslippers; wizardofoz
Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first previous 1-2021-4041-57 next last
To: lowbridge

involuntary witchslaughter or intentional wiccecide?


21 posted on 12/08/2024 8:03:48 AM PST by posterchild
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 18 | View Replies]

To: lowbridge

Today they’d have been taken by FEMA


22 posted on 12/08/2024 8:04:15 AM PST by bigbob (Yes. We ARE going back!)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 18 | View Replies]

To: Larry Lucido

Hey, she murdered a witch to get them.


23 posted on 12/08/2024 8:10:29 AM PST by Valpal1 (Not even the police are safe from the police!!!)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 3 | View Replies]

To: Diana in Wisconsin
Including the Dallas-based auction house's fee, the unknown buyer will ultimately pay $32.5 million.

In Britain, when they still had 20 shillings per pound, auction prices were in guineas, worth 21 shillings. The seller was paid the bid price in pounds, the auction house retaining the bid price in shillings as their fee. That works out to slightly more than a 4.76% fee. The $4.5 million dollar fee on a $28 million price is over 16%.

24 posted on 12/08/2024 8:19:08 AM PST by Lonesome in Massachussets
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Diana in Wisconsin

I hope the auction made it clear that they’re not REAL rubys. 🫣


25 posted on 12/08/2024 8:20:44 AM PST by V_TWIN (America...so great even the people that hate it refuse to leave!)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Diana in Wisconsin

The Movies channel had several Judy Garland movies last week. I think it was “Harvey Girls” where she called another character a “yellow dog,” obviously as an insult.

It brought to mind “Yellow Dog Democrats,” the 1980’s conservative Democrats, precursors to the 1990’s moderate “Blue Dog” Democrats.


26 posted on 12/08/2024 8:31:28 AM PST by scrabblehack
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Diana in Wisconsin

Intrinsic Value: The perceived value of an asset, as opposed to it’s current market price. Often effected by the aesthetic or artistic quality of an object.

IOW, The buyer decides on how valuable it is, based on how much they’re willing to dish out.
Think of that recent exhibit of an actual banana duct taped to a wall, selling for over $2 Million Dollars!


27 posted on 12/08/2024 8:36:49 AM PST by lee martell
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Larry Lucido

She took them from the Wicked Witch’s corpse, that’s for sure.


28 posted on 12/08/2024 8:45:45 AM PST by BradyLS (DO NOT FEED THE BEARS!)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 3 | View Replies]

To: Diana in Wisconsin

How can they legally auction off stolen property???


29 posted on 12/08/2024 8:49:22 AM PST by LTC.Ret (I was MAGA when MAGA wasn't cool)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Diana in Wisconsin

They were on display at the Smithsonian Institute in Washington DC back in the 1970’s.


30 posted on 12/08/2024 8:59:44 AM PST by tired&retired (Blessings )
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Larry Lucido
I didn’t realize that Judy Garland wore stolen ruby slippers.

The Witch of the East had no further use of them. Legitimate salvage.

31 posted on 12/08/2024 9:02:23 AM PST by katana
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 3 | View Replies]

To: Diana in Wisconsin

Are Dorothy’s ruby slippers in the Smithsonian Museum?

The work was funded by a successful 2016 Kickstarter with more than 6,000 backers. The slippers return to view on October 19, 2018, in the museum’s newly renovated third floor West Wing. They are one of the most asked about artifacts at the Smithsonian.

https://americanhistory.si.edu/press/fact-sheets/dorothys-ruby-slippers#:~:text=The%20work%20was%20funded%20by,about%20artifacts%20at%20the%20Smithsonian.


32 posted on 12/08/2024 9:02:57 AM PST by tired&retired (Blessings )
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: tired&retired

Several pairs of Ruby Slippers were made for the movie, a common practice with important costumes and props. These slippers are a mismatched pair, indicated by the use of different base shoes and markings that read “#1 Judy Garland” on the right shoe and “#6 Judy Garland” on the left. The shoes are size 5, although the left shoe is marked “5C” and the right shoe is marked “5BC.” The right shoe also has demonstrably more wear and evidence of use. The slippers are made of white pumps that were covered with red fabric, painted red soles, sequins colored a dark red to match, and bows made of stiff cotton and adorned with three kinds of beads and rhinestones. This pair has orange felt adhered to the bottom to muffle Garland’s footsteps as she danced on the yellow brick road.

The Ruby Slippers were donated to the museum anonymously in 1979 and were almost continuously on display until April 2017 when they underwent extensive research and conservation by a team of over a dozen experts from the National Museum of American History, the Museum Conservation Institute, and the National Institute of Standards and Technology.


33 posted on 12/08/2024 9:06:46 AM PST by tired&retired (Blessings )
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 32 | View Replies]

To: leaning conservative

Go shopping for shoes?


34 posted on 12/08/2024 9:17:06 AM PST by Romulus ( )
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 10 | View Replies]

To: Romulus

Go shopping for property! Preferably in a beach town.


35 posted on 12/08/2024 9:39:15 AM PST by leaning conservative (snow coming, school cancelled, yayyyyyyyyy!!!!!!)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 34 | View Replies]

To: posterchild; FRiends

36 posted on 12/08/2024 9:48:31 AM PST by Diana in Wisconsin (I don't have, 'Hobbies.' I'm developing a robust Post-Apocalyptic skill set.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 8 | View Replies]

To: V_TWIN

The person with 28M pocket change to spend on crap, probably doesn’t care.


37 posted on 12/08/2024 9:57:19 AM PST by Fireone (Americans have had enough. (build the gallows))
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 25 | View Replies]

To: Fireone

“The person with 28M pocket change to spend on crap, probably doesn’t care”

You mean like the billionaire that paid 6 million for a banana duct taped to a blank canvas?

WTF was THAT?.....other than a colossal waste of money. SMH


38 posted on 12/08/2024 10:01:04 AM PST by V_TWIN (America...so great even the people that hate it refuse to leave!)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 37 | View Replies]

To: V_TWIN

Yup, maybe the same person? Lol!


39 posted on 12/08/2024 10:11:27 AM PST by Fireone (Americans have had enough. (build the gallows))
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 38 | View Replies]

To: leaning conservative

Proves the inflations id alive and well.


40 posted on 12/08/2024 10:11:36 AM PST by riverrunner
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 10 | View Replies]


Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first previous 1-2021-4041-57 next last

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.

Free Republic
Browse · Search
General/Chat
Topics · Post Article

FreeRepublic, LLC, PO BOX 9771, FRESNO, CA 93794
FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson