An original pair of red glitter slippers worn by Judy Garland in the legendary film The Wizard of Oz will be on display in central London before being auctioned off to the highest bidder.
The slippers, one of only four surviving pairs made for the film, are set to be exhibited at Heritage Auctions’ London saleroom on Hanover Street from 28 November to 5 December.
These iconic shoes will then be auctioned in Los Angeles on 7 December, with a guide price ranging from £2.3 million to £3.8 million ($2.9 million to $4.8 million).
These red sequin slippers, designed by Gilbert Adrian, MGM’s chief costume designer, were worn by Garland in several significant scenes, including the movie’s famous ending where Dorothy clicks her heels together three times while saying, “There’s no place like home.”
The shoes are among the final pair of 6 to 10 that were created for the film, and it is believed that only four pairs have survived.
One pair is currently on permanent display at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History in Washington, D.C.
The pair to be auctioned were discovered in an MGM warehouse after the company sold its assets in 1969.
They were originally used in scenes where Dorothy stands at the gates to Oz, and when the Wicked Witch of the West tries to steal the shoes from Dorothy, her hands are shocked by their magical power.
These slippers are also featured in the film’s concluding moments when Glinda the Good Witch shows Dorothy how to return home by clicking her heels together.
The slippers’ appearance in The Wizard of Oz, based on L. Frank Baum’s novel The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, made them one of the most recognizable movie props in history.
The film has since become a cultural classic, preserved in the US Library of Congress’s National Film Registry for its historical and aesthetic significance.
In addition to the slippers, the Wicked Witch of the West’s iconic hat, worn by actress Margaret Hamilton in the film, will also be auctioned off.
The slippers were notably stolen from a museum display in 2005, but after years of investigation, they were recovered by the FBI in 2018 and reunited with their owner earlier this year.
The owner has now decided to sell them through Heritage Auctions.
Joe Maddalena, Heritage Auctions’ executive vice president, called the slippers “probably the most important prop in Hollywood history” and expressed excitement for the upcoming auction.
“We’re thrilled they will journey down the yellow brick road, to the auction block, and to a new home,” Maddalena added.
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