Dorothy’s iconic ruby red slippers from The Wizard of Oz sold for US$32.5 million (A$50.8 million) at Heritage Auctions on Saturday.
The pair was one of the four surviving pairs that took Judy Garland somewhere over the rainbow and are now the most valuable movie memorabilia ever sold at auction.
“There is simply no comparison between Judy Garland’s Ruby Slippers and any other piece of Hollywood memorabilia,” Heritage Auctions executive vice president Joe Maddalena said.
“The breathtaking result reflects just how important movies and movie memorabilia are to our culture and collectors.
“It’s been a privilege for all of us at Heritage to be a part of the slippers’ epic journey over the rainbow and off to a new home.”
The live bidding for the shoes opened at $1.5 million and surpassed the pre-auction estimate price of $3 million and up within seconds.
No other pair of The Wizard of Oz ruby slippers ever came close to that number.
The pair sold at the auction is now known as the “stolen pair” as they were famously stolen from the Judy Garland Museum in 2005 and were recovered 13 years later by the FBI before being returned to owner Michael Shaw earlier this year who then hand them over to Heritage Listings to be included in the auction.
Alongside the ruby slippers, the Wicked Witch of the West’s hat was also up for auction and sold for $2,930,000.
The hat that was sold at the auction was the only one to feature “M. Hamilton 4461-164”, referring to Margaret Hamilton who brought the wicked witch to life.
There were also other treasures from Oz featured in the auction, including producer Mervyn LeRoy’s copy of the script from the MGM art department, which sold for $50,000; the screen door from Dorothy’s Kansas home, which sold for $37,500; Judy Garland’s original blonde Dorothy Gale wig from the first week of filming which sold for $30,000; and the signed MGM contract by Over the Rainbow songwriters Harold Arlen and E.Y Harburg which sold for $23,125.