Preparing the Iconic Original Ruby Slippers for a Record-Breaking Auction!
A once in a lifetime opportunity to help prepare the legendary Ruby Slippers worn by Judy Garland in The Wizard of Oz for auction
Per Heritage Auctions, this was one of only four known pairs of Ruby Slippers – yet this pair has one of the most fascinating and almost cinematic histories! For starters, they were originally acquired by collector Michael Shaw in the 1970’s, and as it turns out, is the cross-matched sister shoes to the pair at The Smithsonian Institution. Over the years Shaw had loaned his pair several times to the Judy Garland Museum in Garland’s hometown of Grand Rapids, Minnesota, and on their 4th visit in 2005 they were stolen with the only evidence being a single red sequin left at the scene. Luckily thanks to the FBI the shoes were recovered in 2018, and the men responsible were apprehended.
Knowing that they were crossed matched to the pair that belonged to The Smithsonian Institution, the FBI were able to verify and identify that they were in fact Shaw’s stolen pair. In 2024, Heritage Auctions announced that Shaw had made the decision to put these incredible shoes up for auction.
We were contacted by Heritage Auctions to help prepare these iconic shoes for that auction. Given the value and security concern for the shoes, instead of having them sent to our NY studio, we sent 2 members of our team to their Dallas TX location. While we usually do our conservation work at our New York studio, it is not an uncommon occurrence for us to travel to an auction house for pre-auction preparations (like we did for the Rick Baker, Monster Maker Auction) or even to a private client’s home to work on multiple or oversized pieces.
This pair of Ruby Slippers has fascinating back story and continued to make history with their record breaking sale of $32.5 million, and we were so honored to play even a small part in helping prepare the for the next phase of their journey!. You can read all about the sale on the Heritage Auction Website.
Very special thanks to Brian Chaines and the Heritage Auctions team for being such gracious hosts during our work.
Have an original movie or television prop in need of restoration or conservation? Email or call today and let’s discuss your project!
