A pair of ruby slippers which were worn by the late actress Judy Garland in The Wizard of Oz, were sold for $28 million at an auction at the weekend.
These slippers which were stolen from a museum almost 20 years ago, were originally estimated to fetch for $3 million, a bid which was surpassed within seconds.
They were kept at the Judy Garland Museum, and kept at the late actress' home town of Grand Rapids, Minnesota.
In 2005, these slippers mysteriously disappeared, and were only tracked down in 2018, following FBI involvement and a six-figure reward.
On this, Nikki Hale, manager of special projects at Heritage said this, "They were recovered, apparently buried in a Tupperware (box), underground".
The person who stole them, Terry Martin, was given a suspended prison sentence last January, after admitting to taking them, as he thought they had been encrusted with real rubies. More on this here.
The ruby slippers were purchased by an anonymous bidder, who will ultimately fork out $32.5 million, including the Dallas-based auction's fee.
Joe Maddalena, Heritage Auctions Executive Vice President, released this statement following the sale.
"There is simply no comparison between Judy Garland's Ruby Slippers and any other piece of Hollywood memorabilia", he said. "The breathtaking result reflects just how important movies and movie memorabilia are to our culture and to collectors".
The slippers were among a list of memorabilia which went under the hammer, including Judy Garland's wigs, photographs, film posters, along with items from the wooden game board Jumanji, which starred the late Robin Williams.
Find out more about this auction here.
