Ruby slippers stolen from Grand Rapids up for auction
DULUTH — A pair of "ruby slippers" worn by Judy Garland in "The Wizard of Oz" and infamously stolen from the Judy Garland Museum in Grand Rapids in 2005 are now for auction.
Online bidding is underway and the auction will conclude with in-person bidding Dec. 7 at Heritage Auctions in Dallas.
"We will be there," said Janie Heitz, executive director of the Judy Garland Museum and the associated Children's Discovery Museum. The museum has been fundraising for the auction since collector Michael Shaw declared his intention to sell the shoes, which were recovered by law enforcement authorities in 2018.
The museum has maintained a policy of not commenting on the specific amount it has raised, since "it's an auction and if we share the dollar amount that we've raised, we will have set the minimum bid," Heitz told the News Tribune earlier this year.
During criminal proceedings against the men who allegedly conspired to steal the shoes, prosecutors valued the slippers at $3.5 million.
The state of Minnesota has earmarked $100,000 to support the museum's hoped-for purchase, with Gov. Tim Walz declaring in a May 30 social media post that "we're buying Judy Garland's damn slippers to make sure they remain safe at home in Grand Rapids — on display for all to enjoy — under 24/7, Ocean's 11-proof security."
"We're just excited to see what happens with the ruby slippers," said Heitz when reached by phone Monday. "It's been a good year."
The Wizard of Oz himself might appreciate the hyperbole with which Heritage Auctions has declared the Dec. 7 event "among the most important auctions ever held." The ruby slippers are certainly among the world's most famous movie props; another pair from the movie is a top attraction at the Smithsonian's National Museum of American History.
The "Hollywood Treasures" auction will also include memorabilia such as a hat worn by actor Margaret Hamilton as the Wicked Witch of the West in "Oz." That hat is also owned by Shaw, who has displayed both the hat and slippers on tour across the country.
Last year, Grand Rapids resident Terry Jon Martin pleaded guilty to stealing the slippers and was placed on supervised release given his declining health. Jerry Hal Saliterman, of Crystal, Minnesota, has been charged with receiving and concealing the stolen slippers, allegedly burying them in his yard for years.
Even in the slippers' absence, they've proved a draw for the Judy Garland Museum, which offers tours and an exhibit tailored to visitors curious about the much-publicized crime. Shaw's slippers were on loan to the museum at the time of the theft.
In June, museum visitor Lindsey Borges told the News Tribune that she hopes the Grand Rapids institution succeeds in buying the slippers. "They belong here," said Borges. "This is their rightful place. It would feel weird to have them land anywhere else."
